ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday urged the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters to refrain from violence, saying destroying public and state property on the pretext of blasphemy will not result in any achievement.
Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad in connection with the groundbreaking of Margalla Highway, the PM said: “We [the protesters] are just damaging our economy and public property.” “Ransacking our properties and infrastructure on the blasphemous acts only hurts our own people and the country,” he added.
According to the PM, he has launched a campaign at the international level to put a permanent stop to the Islamophobic and blasphemous acts taking place in the Western world.
The PM said his aim was to present a strong case of Muslim Ummah on the issue of Islamophobic incidents in collaboration with the heads of the Muslim states, reported Radio Pakistan.
He said his government has already highlighted the issue at the forums of the United Nations and the European Union, adding the said campaign will hopefully bring a change. He said the blasphemous acts against Holy Prophet (PBUH) hurt the sentiments of the Muslims.
Speaking about the Margalla Highway project, the PM said given the increase in the population of the federal capital, there was a need to develop more road infrastructure projects for the better management of traffic in the city.
The population of Islamabad has gone up by 1.5 per cent, he said, adding that the highway will solve the problem of congestion.
He assured that the protection of the environment will be fully taken care of whilst executing such projects. He said that the PTI was the first government that gave serious consideration and priority to deal with the issue of climate change.
He said that the previous government have cut so many trees that the country is headed towards an environmental disaster. “We have to take care of our environment as it can have grave consequences. The government is trying its best not to damage our green cover.”
PM Imran said the project will not only ensure the protection of Margalla Hills National Park but also promote tourism by ensuring easy access to Galiyat and other tourist spots.
The highway will link M1 to Murree by bypassing BharaKahu. In its first phase, it will connect GT Road with E-10 Sector and Constitutional Avenue with Murree Road while bypassing BharaKahu.
