RAWALPINDI, April 18: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif lambasted former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar on Tuesday for “sabotaging” development projects introduced by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, and for raising objections against the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre (PKLI).
The PML-N, including party leader Maryam Nawaz, has in earlier statements targeted the former CJP for disqualifying party supremo Nawaz Sharif as premier in 2017 during the Panama Papers case.
At the inaugural ceremony of the Urology Department at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Transplantation Hospital, PM Shahbaz criticized Nisar for raising objections about expenditures for the PKLI hospital.
The premier recalled Nisar as having said that “PKR 20 billion were wasted in the project” as the ex-CJP questioned where the funds went.
“If Rs20 billion were wasted, then how did this hospital become the biggest center for Covid-19 patients,” Shahbaz asked, adding that Nisar used to hold court hearings on weekends simply for political slander.
He furthered that the ex-chief justice was “seeking a position for his brother” in the PKLI hospital.
“No government should stop health projects. Politics should not be permitted in public service projects,” the prime minister said, praying that such projects remained protected from “people like Saqib Nisar”.
During his visit to the RIUT, he expressed satisfaction with the successful completion of the first phase of the hospital where patients were being provided with the best medical treatment for dialysis, kidney ailments, and other surgeries.
He lauded the Punjab health department for effectively carrying out the operationalization of the hospital and appreciated the doctors and nurses for their dedication.
Shahbaz highlighted that Rs5 billion had been spent on RIUT so far, and recalled that he laid the foundation stone of the hospital in 2012. He regretted that the previous government delayed the project, which could otherwise have been made operational much earlier.
He said serving the people was a noble cause that needed a synchronized effort by all stakeholders.
The prime minister took a round of various sections of the RIUT and inquired about the health of patients. He also instructed the administration to leave no stone unturned in providing the best medical facilities to the patients.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, PML-N leaders Hanif Abbasi, Tahira Aurangzeb, and others were present at the occasion.
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