NAB’s ‘double standards’ damaged Pakistan: PM Shehbaz Sharif

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday lamented “double standards” of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that pushed the country towards destruction, ARY News reported.

The premier made these remarks while addressing a ceremony after laying the foundation stone of the Bab-e-Pakistan project and an upgrade to Walton Road.

“It was the double standards of anti-graft watchdog that had caused harm to Pakistan. The rule of ‘must be buried forever,” he said, adding the country could not move ahead on the path of progress and prosperity unless they collectively resist these tendencies.

The PM said that no doubt, Pakistan was going through hard times, but it was his firm conviction that with collective efforts, sacrifices and hard work, the nation would overcome these difficulties.

The prime minister said all segments of society, including the elite class, would have to come forward and support the nation with generosity.

Referring to the Walton road, PM Shehbaz Sharif said that it was the place where thousands of migrants from India took refuge and the locals supported them which renewed the precedent of Ansar-e-Madina.

Speaking about the construction of Bab-e-Pakistan, the premier said Nawaz Sharif laid its foundation stone during 1991 and then in 1997 and work on the project was expedited when coalition govt came into power in April 2022.

He regretted that the project hit snags during 2008 when its contract was awarded during the rule of late Musharraf.

The prime minister opined that it would be a shame for a poor country like Pakistan, where the basic necessities of life like health and education were scant, to use costly imported tiles for the construction of the historic monument

The prime minister further said that with such a display of callousness, billions of the country were wasted.

Earlier, Central Business District Development Authority (CBDA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Imran Nadeem presented an overview of the projects.