Press briefing by Secretary Information of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Muhammad Siddique-ul-Farooque on Sunday April 14, 2002

PCO President General Pervez Musharraf is disfiguring hard facts in reference to export of sugar to India by the deposed government of Pakistan Muslim League (N) and construction of Gawadar Port and Motorway Projects in his referendum speeches. He is not only criticising PML (N) President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif but also trying to take credit of these projects, which amounts to misleading the politically sensible people of Pakistan. PML (N) is putting facts before the nation in this regard to judge as to who is right and who is wrong.

ALLEGATION OF EXPORTING SUGAR TO INDIA

General Musharraf has accused Muhammad Nawaz Sharif of exporting sugar to India and pocketing billions of rupees out of his sheer personal grudge and animosity. PML (N) is proud of exporting sugar to India during its rule and earning millions of rupees for Pakistan shoring up its reserves, while Musharraf Junta imported sugar from India at the cost of billions of rupees which was used by India to import modern sophisticated weapons.

During the government of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif when production of sugar had exceded the domestic consumption, it was officially decided to export sugar to India. General Musharraf's Minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas Minister Abbass Sarfaraz Khan was then President of the Sugar Mills Association. The sugar exported to India also included that of the sugar mills of General Musharraf's ally Hamayun Akhtar Khan and Abbass Sarfaraz Khan. But this export of sugar to India did not bear on the sugar prices at home and sugar continued to sell at Rs 18 per kilogram. On the contrary, Musharraf Junta imported sugar from India, which sold at Rs 30 to 35 for a considerable period of time.

GAWADAR PROT PROJECT

General Musharraf claims to have initiated the Gawadar Port Project contrary to the fact that it was a brainchild of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and he had taken practical steps to begin the project. In July 1997 the PML (N) government Okayed the project. The Planning Commission approved PC-I of the project in July 17, 1998 and the National Committee of the National Economic Council approved the project on May 14, 1999. This project is included in the budget 1999-2000. A huge grant was allocated for the project.

In August 1999 the then communications minister Raja Nadir Pervez went to China and held negotiations with the Chinese leadership in connection with the project. In consequence of these negotiations, the Harbour Engineering Corporation of China signed an MoU with the Government of Pakistan on September16, 1999 for the first phase of the project.

Had sanctions not been imposed on Pakistan and General Musharraf not revolted against the democratically elected government of Muhammad Nawz Sharif, work on Gawadar Port Project would have started in 1999.

MOTORWAY PROJECT

Motorway Project was a product of creative imagination of Muhamamd Nawaz Sharif and he had implemented this project. Today a 300-kilometer stretch of the motorway has become the longest and the safest runway for the aircraft of Pakistan Air Force and landing and takoff operations have been successfully conducted. It is on record that at the outset the present Communications and Railways Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi had lambasted Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for squandering billions of rupees on the project which testifies to his lack of imagination and foresight despite being a General.

The Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway was to be completed by as late as December 2000. But after the October 12, 1999 revolt, not only Musharraf Junta stopped work on the project but also cancelled the contract of the Turkish firm Bayinder. Now the project has been awarded to a Pakistani firm SKB without floating of tender. The firm has hinted at completion of the project by 2006. Name of one Aftab Siddiqui, alleged to be a relative of General Musharraf's son Bilal Musharraf, is also talk of the town in connection with the award of the project.

In his refrendum addresses General Muaharraf is trying to take the credit of motorway project by announcing construction of Islamabad-Peshawar and Faisalabad-Multan motorway. Had General Musharraf not taken over the country, the project would have been completed 16 months before.

PML (N) will release two fact sheets in next two weeks to tell the nation that why Bayinder was dissociated from the motorway project and whose interest was served in the award of the project to SKB.