Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says military dictatorship always halted Pakistan's progress

Islamabad: Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday said that military dictatorship always halted progress in the country. The prime minister, who was in Karachi on a day-long visit, was speaking during the inauguration ceremony of the Pakistan International Bulk Terminal at Port Qasim. The prime minister said that the people of Pakistan should decide who they want in the government and who they don’t. “The masses have always elected political parties that have performed well for them,” he said adding that leaders who do not perform well should be sent home. [caption id=“attachment_4070439” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Pakistan’s prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Reuters[/caption] “But the process should be democratic and the people should decide,” stressed Abbasi. Taking an apparent dig at the army chief for his remarks of the country being in “sky high” debt, the prime minister said that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)-led government, in its four years, has made the economy stable. According to him, the current government was successfully completing power projects, initiated by the previous government, along with the ones the ruling PML-N started. “The previous government faced an energy crisis, our government has brought stability in the country and added 10,000 MWs to the national power grid,” Abbasi added. The Pakistan International Bulk Terminal at Port Qasim was completed at a cost of $285 million early this year, according to a press statement, and has so far provided berths to 12 coal ships. It has been dredged to a depth of 13 metres and is capable of handling ships of up to 65,000 tonnes.