ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while addressing a
meeting of his party's parliamentary committee on Thursday, said Chinese
President Xi Jinping during his visit to Islamabad last year said the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a 'gift' to Pakistan.
"He
[Xi Jinping] said this is a gift to you from China. They were also
waiting for the time when our government would be in power so that they
could make this investment," Nawaz said, referring to the $46 billion
investment made by the Chinese government for various projects under the
CPEC.
"Our government has been working with great
sincerity, there have been no accusations of kickbacks or corruption
against us," he claimed.
Earlier this week, following a
high-level cabinet meeting on energy, officials in the know suggested
the government is losing sleep over its promise of ending loadshedding
by May 2018.
"The
risk is too high if the government fails to generate required amount of
megawatts and control loadshedding before PML-N leaders hit the road
for the 2018 general elections campaign," a PML-N legislator privy to
the government's nervousness caused by the severity of the task admitted
earlier.
A ministry of water and power official said
the government, in the face of a furious opposition and colossal
challenge, 'had no option but to deliver'.
PM Nawaz, in
his address to PML-N officials, lauded the swiftness with which power
projects are being undertaken. "Lots of power projects are being
undertaken," he said, claiming that Chinese officials privy to project
developments have said "they are being built faster than such projects
were built in China".
"We want to deliver on the
commitments we have made to the people," he said. "Why weren't power
projects given importance by previous governments? Why weren't they
being set up when we came to power in 2013? If anyone cared about these
projects between 2008 and 2013, why didn't they do it?" he asked.
The
premier called for former president Pervez Musharraf and others who
were in power to be brought before the National Assembly and questioned
by parliamentarians. "Ask them why they ruined Pakistan," he said. "You
were in power, why didn't you pay attention to this problem?"
"Producing
more power, ending loadshedding and supplying cheap electricity are our
goals," Nawaz said, adding that exploration of coal deposits in Thar
and setting up coal-based power plants would aid in achieving this end.
"For the first time in 70 years in Pakistan's history, coal is being
extracted from Thar... This should have been done 70 years ago," he
said.
'Time to say goodbye to IMF'
Pakistan is becoming an emerging economy, Nawaz claimed,
congratulating parliamentarians on the news that the government's
agreement with the International Monetary Fund had concluded.
The IMF today cleared payment to Pakistan of a final $102 million tranche in a $6.4 billion three-year programme.
"It is our desire... that after this we will say goodbye to the IMF," Nawaz said.
"There
is no indication for miles that we will default," the premier claimed.
"No one calls us a failed state anymore... Foreign reserves are at
historical levels," he said, adding that there is an "investment
climate" in Pakistan.
'Must examine factors behind terrorism'
"It's important to examine who was in charge when terrorism
began, what the reasons were, what the factors behind terrorism rising
were. If things had been run properly earlier, terrorism would not have
entered Pakistan," the premier said.
Nawaz admitted Pakistan had experienced 'blowback' when military operations began in the tribal areas.
"Economic development will be possible when there is no extremism," he said. "We have tried to maintain peace."
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