Come to your senses: PM Shehbaz urges PTI to end protest march

Shehbaz Sharif says govt will certainly hold talks but PTI must end long marches, sit-ins first Warns protesters law will take its course Agitation severely damages economy and govt will not allow this to happen PM orders third-party audit of all NHA Projects, directs steps for uninterrupted gas import, seeks winter gas load management strategy.

ISLAMABAD  –  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to abandon its agitational politics and call off its long march, saying that dialogue could only take place if the party ended its protests. He warned that continued agitation would severely harm the country’s economic growth and international standing.

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“I still ask them to come to their senses. (First) end your long marches and sit-ins. Once you end (the protests), we will certainly sit down with you and talk so that Pakistan moves forward with mutual hard work, honesty, and integrity. This is the desire of the nation, the voice of every Pakistani,” the prime minister said, addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of Kashmir Chowk Underpass being constructed to ease the traffic flow between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Chairman of Capital Development Authority Sohail Ashraf attended the ceremony, along with parliamentarians and notables from different walks of life.

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As per the briefing, the PC-1 cost of the project was Rs1.6 billion, but the contract was awarded at Rs1.4 billion, which would feature four slip roads. The intersection currently handles 107,000 vehicles and faces congestion during peak hours, particularly during VIP movement.

The prime minister, who earlier performed the ground breaking, told the gathering that the PTI had again resorted to the politics of sit-ins and long marches despite the government’s sincere efforts to engage in meaningful negotiations.

He said that a joint committee comprising representatives from the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party had held talks with the opposition, but the process stalled after the PTI demanded last-minute changes to the finalised draft, indicating that their sole objective was to sabotage the dialogue.

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“As a result of the politics of sit-ins and long marches, the primary target will be your economy. There will be disruptions in your exports, your manufacturing, and your imports. If your laborer or your engineer fails to reach the factory, the manufacturing site, or their office on time, whose loss is it? It is the loss of this nation, the loss of this country,” the prime minister said.

He said that the government had successfully restored macroeconomic stability and was striving for growth through collective teamwork, with positive indicators reflected in rising exports, remittances, and industrial production. He cautioned that undermining these hard-won achievements would amount to hostility toward the state.

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“We will not allow this to happen. The law will take its course. Protecting the lives and property of the people is our responsibility, and we will ensure this by all means,” he resolved.

He appreciated Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his team for setting the target to complete the Kashmir Chowk project within a month.

He said that as the intersection was known as Kashmir Chowk, the milestone would one day reach Srinagar when the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) achieve their inalienable right to freedom.

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In his address, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the project was part of the prime minister’s vision to transform and beautify Islamabad ahead of the SCO Heads of State Summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad next year.

He noted that upon the completion of the Kashmir Chowk and Expressway service road projects, the travel time between the twin cities would be slashed from the current 30 minutes down to just 16 to 18 minutes.

The minister said that Minister of State Talal Chaudhry was personally overseeing two key initiatives: making Islamabad entirely plastic-free and transitioning the capital into a cashless city, with both projects targeted for completion by the end of the year.

Highlighting environmental and recreational developments, Naqvi mentioned that F-9 Park was being upgraded along the lines of London’s Hyde Park. Additionally, a safari park—projected to be Asia’s largest—along with another park matching the size of F-9, would be developed.

“By the time we leave office, we will make Islamabad three times greener than it was,” he resolved, also announcing that the complete digitalization of land records would be finalized by the end of this year.

Contrasting this development with PTI’s politics of long march, Naqvi urged the public to evaluate whether their elected representatives were working tirelessly for their welfare or indulging in negative politics.

Also, PM Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted import of gas in view of the prevailing regional situation, while ordering a comprehensive strategy and proactive steps for winter gas load management.

The prime minister, chairing a high-level meeting on winter gas load management, said a robust public awareness campaign should be launched to support the implementation of the gas load management strategy.

During the briefing, the participants of the meeting were informed that domestic consumers would remain the top priority for local gas supply, while RLNG will be prioritised for power generation and industrial sectors.

To reduce pressure on domestic gas reserves, a public awareness campaign will be initiated to promote alternative energy sources at the household level. Furthermore, measures are underway to ensure uninterrupted supply from natural gas reserves located in the northern areas of the country.

The meeting was also told that a proposal was under consideration to introduce bank financing for electricity-operated appliances used for water and space heating. The meeting was attended by federal ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Ali Pervaiz Malik, Adviser to PM Haroon Akhtar, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other senior government officials.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif has directed that a third party audit of all ongoing projects of the National Highway Authority be conducted. He was chairing a meeting on matters related to the National Highway Authority in Islamabad today.

The Prime Minister also directed that a strategy be evolved to construct national highways, motorways and expressways under public-private partnerships.

Shehbaz Sharif said improvement in transportation infrastructure is essential for the development and prosperity of any country. He added that the government is working on a priority basis to connect remote areas with other parts of the country, provide better travelling facilities to the people and create more opportunities for business and employment.

The meeting was informed that NHA’s revenue increased from 109 billion rupees to 130 billion rupees during the last fiscal year and is expected to reach Rs160 billion during the current fiscal year.

It was briefed that NHA is financing several projects from its own revenues, including the Sialkot-Kharian Motorway (M-12), Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (M-13), Peshawar Northern Bypass, rehabilitation of Jaglot-Skardu Road (S-1), upgradation of Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad Motorway (M-4) as well as the Multan-Lodhran (N-5) section and construction of approach roads to the Layyah-Taunsa Bridge.

The meeting was told that work on the Pakistan Expressway (N-25) is progressing rapidly.

It was further informed that sixteen projects are currently at the final stages of completion and will soon be ready for inauguration. These include the upgradation of GT Road (N-5) from T-Chowk Islamabad to Banth, remodelling of GT Road (N-5) Islamabad-Chungi No. 26 Interchange, Margalla Avenue Extension from GT Road (N-5) to Motorway M-1, Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad Motorway (M-4), Quetta Western Bypass and Pindi Gheb-Jand Road.

Other projects include the Bhong Interchange on Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5), construction of Nokundi-Mashkhel Road, dualisation of Old Bannu Road, dualisation of the San-Sehwan and Ratodero-Shikarpur sections of Indus Highway (N-55), and construction of an additional carriageway on the Pataro-Sehwan section of N-55.

The meeting was apprised that the foundation stones of several projects will be laid soon. These include the Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (M-13), Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6), rehabilitation of GT Road (N-5) Nowshera-Peshawar section, reconstruction of GT Road (N-5) Rawalpindi-Hassan Abdal section, rehabilitation of National Highway (N-5) Moro-Hala section and reconstruction of National Highway (N-5) Ranipur-Rohri section.

It was informed that the Sialkot-Kharian Motorway (M-12) and Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (M-13) are being constructed under public-private partnership.

The meeting was further updated that a Guru Nanak Expressway project is under consideration to connect sacred Sikh sites, including Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib.

It was said that a Mansehra-Chilas Expressway via Naran has also been proposed, which will reduce the distance between Mansehra and Chilas by 146 kilometers.

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