Snatch loan money from defaulters: CM

LAHORE Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the Quaid-i-Azam wanted to make Pakistan an Islamic, democratic and welfare state but we did not come up to his expectations. He called upon the government to arrange recovery of Rs 193 billion written-off loans from the defaulters and utilise this amount in the development works.
He was addressing a special function organised by Nazria Pakistan Trust in collaboration with Tehrik-e-Pakistan Workers Trust at Aiwan-e-Karkunan Tehrik-e-Pakistan on the 133rd birth anniversary of the Quaid. NPT Chairman and Editor-in-Chief The Nation Majid Nizami presided over the function. Shahbaz said Pakistan would not have appeared on the world map had there been no Quaid-i-Azam. He said a nation that resorted to self-accountability never failed. The objective of the creation of Pakistan was to provide equal economic opportunities to all. The Quaid never wanted the poor to die of hunger and poverty, he added. He said no dictator could dare to occupy power by force if we had followed the path shown by the Quaid. Our failures are many while successes are only a few during the past 63 years. However, he expressed his optimism that the dark days are likely to decline soon. The nation has heard two good news; one the amicable NFC Award and the other the Supreme Court verdict against NRO.
NFC Award is the second important document after 1973 Constitution for which he congratulated the people of Punjab for showing the sacrifice spirit for the smaller provinces. He said the verdict against NRO has established that the nation did not want corrupt practices. It could have been a scar on the face of Parliament if it had approved the NRO, he said and added there is no conflict on NRO among government institutions. The list of written-off loans has been presented to the Supreme Court and if loans are received with fines, it will be equal to Rs 3-4 billion to be spent on people. Shahbaz warned there would be a conflict between the rich and the poor if we did not use the resources judiciously. The revolution is sure to come if we allow a particular class to possess the national wealth and resources, and the children of the poor would continue to suffer for lack of treatment. He said no nation could prosper on foreign aid nor could it survive.
Shahbaz said that we should reiterate our pledge to snatch the loan money from the plunderers and spend it on the poor. We have to get rid of the people who were showing fake documents on TV channels in their favour. He pleaded for identifying these persons. He extended congratulations to the Supreme Court on his own behalf and on behalf of his party, the government and people of Punjab. He said all the accused involved in the Bank of Punjab scam were arrested except Hamesh Khan who had absconded abroad, and a judge of LHC Bilal Khan helped him to escape.
Shahbazs speech was punctuated with slogans seeking return of the looted money. At this stage, Shahbaz presented a resolution to the NPT Vice-Chairman duly approved by the House to send it to the Supreme Court to bind the government for recovery of loans with fine and to allocate the amount for public welfare.
Shahbaz paid rich tributes to Majid Nizami and Nawa-i-Waqt Group for upholding the truth and working for the solidarity of Pakistan. The future historian will pay him due respect for the ideological training of new generation, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Majid Nizami stressed the people to value freedom. He said, Pakistan is an atomic country and if we were not a free nation, we would have become slaves to Hindus. Hindus never accepted our independence. India is not a secular country rather it is an enemy of Pakistan. We should remain alert and remain in a state of preparedness against India. India is building dams on our rivers to turn Pakistan into a desert. Our rulers should impress upon India not to build dams otherwise we will smash these dams with bombs. He said the Quaid wanted to make Pakistan a state for experimenting Islam but we are turning it into a secular state. We should repent and seek forgiveness of Allah for this sin, he added.
Vice-Chairman of NPT Prof Dr Rafique Ahmad said Quaid-i-Azam not only gave us freedom but a vision. The Quaid gave priority to education and the first conference he chaired was on education. He said the Quaid also wanted promotion of technical education and promotion of good values. He praised the 'Danish school systems of Punjab Government.
Grandson of Allama Iqbal, Advocate Waleed Iqbal said the Quaid wanted democratic culture. He said we should follow the Constitution and forge unity as ordained by the Quaid. Brig (r) Zafar Iqbal Ch said the Quaid-i-Azam spent life practising honesty and never allowed corruption. He said unfortunately a political upheaval has been initiated as the Supreme Court ordered for bringing back looted money.
Syed Ahmad Saeed Kirmani said Pakistan would survive through all odds.
NPT Secretary Shahid Rashid thanked the guests and said the NPT is working day and night for the promotion of Pakistan ideology. The meeting was attended by people from all walks of life. Shahid Rashid conducted the meeting, announcing that next meeting would be held at Aiwan-e-Nazria Pakistan. He also thanked Punjab CM for his grant of Rs1 million for Pakistan Movement workers.