PM Shehbaz says Nawaz Sharif made Pakistan a nuclear power, predicts 'historic' election results

GUJRANWALA (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Nawaz Sharif’s greatest achievement was making Pakistan a nuclear power, adding that if Pakistan did not possess nuclear capability, the situation during this year’s conflict would have been very different.

The PM claimed that under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership, the upcoming elections would bring “historic results.”

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the mass-transit bus project in Gujranwala, the prime minister said the PML-N slogan would resonate across the country. He added that development-focused politics in Punjab began under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership, noting that the projects completed during his tenure as chief minister and prime minister would always be remembered.

Shehbaz Sharif said the new transport project gifted by the Punjab chief minister would transform the district’s future and offer immense convenience to citizens. He added that schoolchildren, factory workers and lawyers alike would benefit from improved travel time and accessibility.

He said Nawaz Sharif established Lahore’s first cardiac hospital and initiated development projects aimed at the common man. He reiterated that Pakistan’s nuclear capability was Nawaz Sharif’s most significant contribution, without which, he said, the country’s situation amid this year’s conflict would have been drastically different.

Addressing the audience, he said Lahore was once among the world’s most polluted cities, but smog levels had now decreased — crediting Maryam Nawaz and her team for the improvement, which he said even critics could not deny.

CM Maryam Nawaz’s Address

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said development work across the province was moving at high speed. She mentioned a major Rs30 billion project underway in Gujrat, where new sewerage lines were being installed and construction of 120,000 houses was in progress. She announced that metro bus projects would soon begin in Gujranwala and Faisalabad to improve urban mobility.

She stressed that Pakistan’s major development milestones — from the nuclear program to motorways — occurred during the tenures of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif. She criticised those who governed in the past four years for predicting the country’s default, saying the reality today was very different.

Maryam Nawaz also criticized the previous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, saying that despite 12 years of rule, no significant development was visible. She said the former KP chief minister was busy with political confrontation, while the current one was frequently seen outside Adiala Jail.