Transparency, merit hallmark of government: CM

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said situation of the country has substantially improved during the tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-N and people are witness to improvement in different walks of life.

He said zero tolerance policy had been adopted against corruption which had resulted in transparency in government affairs, eradication of corruption and improvement in service delivery besides image of the country had improved at international level.

He said solid efforts made for the eradication of corruption on behalf of the government were also being appreciated at global level, according to a handout issued here on Sunday.

The chief minister said that transparency and merit were hallmark of the present government, adding that recruitments have been made only on merit in all departments, including police.

He said billions of rupees had been saved in development projects first time in the history of the country and all mega projects were proof to transparency in development projects. Ensuring transparency at every level was among top priorities of PML-N government, he added.

Shahbaz Sharif said the PML-N government was free from corruption and no one could raise finger on transparency in development projects. Rs. 112 billion of the nation had been saved by ensuring transparency in three gas-based power plants being set up in the province, he added.

He said zero tolerance against corruption from lower level to upper level was yielding better results, adding that Pakistan was the only country in South Asia making successful efforts for eliminating corruption.

He said the US Journal "Foreign Policy" had also lauded effective steps of the present government against corruption.

The chief minister said thousands of megawatt electricity would be added to national grid with the completion of energy projects by the end of 2017 which would result in elimination of loadshedding. He said with the completion of gas-based power projects, not only 3,600 megawatt electricity would be generated but also consumers would get cheap electricity.