Staff Reporter Islamabad
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday alleged that former premier Nawaz Sharif and his family committed corruption in constructing motorways during the time they were in government.
Talking to journalists along with Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed the minister said that the Sharif family made road construction a huge business, and used it for personal gains.
He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan is not against building flyovers and motorways but he is against corruption, which was done under the pretext of constructing roads earlier.
He stated that Pakistan had accumulated debt of Rs6 trillion in 65 years, which reached a whopping Rs27 trillion during the PML-N government.
The loans were acquired during 2008 and 2018, he mentioned. “Imran Khan is against building roads and motorways through loans which the previous governments did,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Murad Saeed said that the previous rulers built costly motorways as compared to those constructed during the PTI government’s tenure. “Even the renovation of roads was carried out on costly rates in PML-N’s rule.”
He claimed that both Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari laundered money abroad. He said billions of dollars have been exposed to have landed in Sharif and Zardari accounts and properties and that only depicts the picture of what has been witnessed so far. There are billions whose trace has yet to be established, he said.
Murad Saeed said the present government is constructing highways and motorways on Build-Operate-Transfer basis instead of past practice of taking loans.
He said PML-N government minted around one trillion rupees in awarding highways and motorways contracts, while PTI government saved billions of rupees by ensuring transparency in road infrastructure projects.
Murad said despite rise in the value of dollar and the cost of other construction material, PTI is constructing motorways and highways with over Rs400 million per kilometer.