Bad weather forces PM to abort Lowari Tunnel visit

PESHAWAR, Aug 22: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had a brief stop over in Peshawar while on way to Chitral for inspecting the Lowari Tunnel project after bad weather forced his chopper to make an emergency landing at Governor’s House. The Governor’s House sources say that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accompanied by Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Lt Gen (r) Adul Qadir Baloch and Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Mahtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi had left for Chitral to inspect the work on Lowari Tunnel Project but the chopper had to be diverted to Peshawar due to bad weather forecast near Mardan. The prime minster later chaired a high level meeting on the Lowari Tunnel Project and directed the concerned officials to expedite the work. Sharif was also given a detailed briefing on the Zarb-i-Azb military operation in North Waziristan tribal region and the situation of the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Speaking on the occasion premier Sharif said that the government held the sacrifices made by North Waziristan’s tribesmen in high esteem and all out efforts would be made to redress their grievances. He added that the nation would honour the sacrifices made by the tribesmen of North Waziristan. The prime minister said that the rehabilitation of the affected tribesmen is government’s priority and they would not be left alone in the hour of need. Earlier, US ambassador Richard Olson also held a meeting with the KP Governor Sardar Mahtab Khan and discussed with him the prevailing situation in the country. Though the Governor’s House statement said that issues of bilateral and mutual cooperation were discussed whereas other sources added that the US ambassador’s visit to the province and meeting with the KP governor was crucial in the ongoing political scenario. The opposition parties have already started mulling a strategy to form a coalition government in the province and had technically blocked the assembly dissolution by filing a no-confidence motion which is likely to voted within two weeks. Also the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf coalition party Jamaat-i-Islami has played cleverly by first vowing to oppose and stop the assembly dissolution and then announced support for Pervez Khattak in the no-confidence move.–pakistanworldnewsviews.com/]]>