——— Says Saudi Arabia is our closest ally
——— Claims any propaganda against Riyadh is treachery
——— Warns this propaganda harms national interest
——— Urges strong opposition to such moves
——— Maryam also slams Bushra’s remarks
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Taking a strong exception to the statement of Bushra Bibi, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder’s wife, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the nation would break any hand that dared to sabotage Pakistan-Saudi Arabia friendship.
“No one could even think about levelling such allegations,” said the premier addressing the inaugura-tion ceremony of the restoration project of Kachhi Canal at Taunsa Canal, Kot Addu.
“If someone spews venom against Saudi Arabia, then what would they say about Pakistani nation, government, and its politicians,” he added. Regretting the sowing the seeds of hatred, the premier said such statements were driven by personal and political agendas.
A day earlier, Bushra issued a rare video message ahead of the PTI’s “do-or-die” protest, accusing Sau-di Arabia of being involved in ousting her husband’s government.
Censuring the major opposition party, PM Shehbaz said, “People of such nature fail to realise how much damage their statements can cause to Pakistan.”
“What kind of political interest justifies sacrificing the national interest?”
He praised Riyadh’s unconditional support to Islamabad on all diplomatic and economic fronts without seeking any return. The premier labelled the statement regarding Saudi Arabia as an act of aggression against the state.
“There is no example of a friendly state like Saudi Arabia anywhere across the globe. We will not allow anyone to play with our national interests,” asserted the prime minister. Praising the Kachhi Canal project, the premier credited Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti for his efforts to launch the restoration work.
He blamed former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for destroying the irrigation project initiated by former premier Nawaz Sharif in 1998 after being handed over to a contractor without any tender.
The premier emphasised that efforts were needed to generate resources for the completion of the Kachhi Canal project and expressed hopes that it would open doors of prosperity and development to the Balochistan people.
Addressing the same event, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also came down hard on the for-mer first lady’s statement, saying: “A woman with no political background has attacked an ally country of Pakistan.”
“Saudi Arabia, which has always supported Pakistan in difficult times.” She said PTI had once again launched an assault on an ally state, driven by a dangerous agenda.
Commending the incumbent government’s policies, she said that good news was coming every day to Pakistan after a gap of several years as the stock market broke all previous records today and nationals felt relief after a reduction in inflation.
Maryam said that the canal project would help populate lands and bring prosperity to Balochistan.
The Punjab chief executive criticised the Imran Khan-founded for giving calls for protests and sit-ins despite witnessing positive developments in the country.
She added that the former ruling party faced failures to gather people for their protests and sit-ins.
Maryam said that “internal attacks” were being carried out in the country, alleging that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was “invading the Centre and Punjab”.
She was referring to the PTI-led provincial government’s previous protests in Islamabad and forthcom-ing march on the federal capital on Sunday.
The chief minister said that the opposition party reserved the right to protest and it was never stopped from holding public gatherings after its founder was ousted from power.
She added that the situation changed after the PTI’s protest on May 9, 2023.
Maryam said that PM Shehbaz knew well how to defend Pakistan, adding that she was also aware of how to protect the Punjab citizens from “this evil”. She said that the Imran Khan-founded party would fail to gain their ulterior motives.
