FAISALABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that previous governments must be held accountable for energy and economic crises that dragged the country into darkness and bankruptcy.
“In 1960 we were ahead of South Korea in development. In 1990, we were the best in the region. In 1999, we were the top economy in South Asia, but in 2013 we stood in the last,” the prime minister said while inaugurating a 40MW coal-fired power project at Sitara Chemical Industries Ltd (SCIL).
The 40MW coal power plant is the largest of its kind in the industrial sector of Faisalabad. The prime minister unveiled the plaque of the project that has been completed in 27 months, costing Rs 3.5 billion.
Speaking on the occasion, the premier said a dictator had ruled the country for seven years before the five-year term by another government. “They will have to be held accountable [for their mistakes]. History will never pardon them,” the prime minister remarked. Regretting that no steps had been taken in the past to end load shedding, he said the country could never progress amid energy crisis. He reiterated that 2018 would be the year of an end to load shedding.
He said the political instability and inconsistency of the policies had reasoned the economic crises, but the government was making efforts to regain the lost status of the national economy. Nawaz said the country had gained important successes against terrorists. He said that terrorists were focusing on soft targets. He said Pakistan had rendered matchless sacrifices in the war on terror and the world acknowledged those sacrifices. He said the war on terror would be taken to its logical end.
Speaking about overall situation in Sindh, the prime minister said the situation of law and order had improved significantly in Karachi as a result of operations conducted by law enforcement agencies.
Nawaz said PML-N government had put the country on the path of progress and prosperity. He said local and foreign investors were taking keen interest in investment in the country, as Pakistan “offers lucrative opportunities for investment”.
Punjab Governor Malik Rafiq Rajwana, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir and State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali were also present on the occasion.
