Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday promised infrastructure and developmental projects in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
In a veiled reference to the 'Naya Pakistan' slogan touted by the the Pakistan Tehkreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Nawaz said he wanted to see a 'Naya Khyber Pakhtunkhwa'.
Speaking at a workers' convention in the provincial capital of KP, he said the PTI-led government in KP had been given every opportunity to remedy the problems faced by the province, but it had failed.
"We are laying the foundations for a new Pakistan. We did it before, we are doing it today, and in the future you will see the government will not just make a new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the best Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."
He claimed no new motorway had been built in Pakistan after the completion of the Peshawar - Islamabad - Lahore motorway, and said that the government has now planned to extend the motorway to Karachi in an effort to make various parts of the country accessible by road and bring the provinces closer together.
He also said that Hazara motorway is not far from completion, and the day that a Peshawar - Kabul motorway is built is not far either.
"Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have expressways and motorways, and the PML-N will build them for you and your future generations," he stated.
Addressing the matter of the Lowari tunnel, Nawaz said that those who had pushed for the construction of the tunnel had been unable to complete it as yet, and went on to say that his government would complete the construction of the tunnel within the next two years.
He said his government will build hospitals, schools and universities in KP. Anticipating an extension of the laptop scheme, he said that within the next three to four years, children would be eligible for thousands more laptops.
Addressing the matter of terrorism, he proclaimed "Terrorists are running, their backbone has been broken", and "there will not be any more terrorism in Pakistan."
The prime minister highlighted the government's efforts to make an example of those who thwart the law and kill innocent people. "They will not be safe now. We will make Pakistan a peaceful country," he said.
Nawaz announced that the electricity shortfall would be combated with the combined output of more than 15,000 MW from the completion of the Diamer-Bhasha, Rondu-Bunji and Dasu dams.
"In the next three years, we will eliminate the power shortage and loadshedding will finish ... We will provide cheap electricity. Every house will get power and gas."
Addressing PML-N parliamentarians in a separate press conference, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said Operation Zarb-i-Azb had broken the backbone of terrorists and that targeted operations in Karachi were also yielding positive results.
Nawaz announced that the Afghan government is cooperating with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism and went on to say that the government will redirect its attention to other matters once terrorism has been eliminated.
The prime minister said the national economy is being revived and international organisations including Moody's, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Bloomberg have appreciated the economic achievements of the government.
Nawaz assured commitment to resolving the power crisis and said the government is set to achieve its targets in this regard. "We will ensure every house has electricity," the premier promised.
He was optimistic that the government’s endeavours would enable the creation of more jobs.
He also advised the president of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of PML-N to appoint upright candidates to contest the KP local government elections.
