Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif presided over a joint meeting of representatives of Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Agriculture which condemned the unjustified behavior regarding load shedding of electricity and gas towards Punjab and termed it contrary to the spirit of federation. Provincial Ministers, Members National and Provincial Assembly, energy experts and prominent personalities from other sectors were present. The meeting took important decisions for adopting a unanimous strategy against unjustified load-shedding and launching new projects of energy.
Addressing the meeting, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry should install 50MW units for generation of energy from coal, Punjab government will not only provide every possible facility but also collaborate in these projects. While constituting a representative committee comprising personalities from agriculture, industry, labour and trade sectors, he said that this committee will meet on Friday in which unanimous strategy would be evolved regarding elimination of discriminatory behavior to Punjab regarding electricity and gas load-shedding. He said that a policy will be evolved for generation of solar energy and energy from coal, biogas and other sources and under a transparent policy, these projects will be speedily implemented so that energy resources could be made available to Punjab. He said that depending upon federal government for the provision of energy is tantamount to self cheating as federal government has disappointed the nation from its behavior. He said that we will have to set up joint energy projects for the promotion of industrial, trade, agriculture and other sectors. He said that during the recent energy conference, it was decided that there would be equal load-shedding throughout the country but lamented on their non-implementation. He said that the energy crisis is ruining the economy of Punjab as it has to bear a loss of Rs.300 billion every year. He said that those who looted the national resources mercilessly in the past are giving suggestions that the provinces should share in the abolishment of circular debt. He said that for the abolishment of circular debt, the corrupt rulers should bring the looted money and the loans waived off on political grounds, back and stop corruption, loot and plunder and utilize Rs.70 billion of Benazir Income Support Programme for this purpose then Punjab will also contribute its share and also ask other province to do so.
Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that according to the decision of first energy conference, the traders of Punjab had proved to be true and patriotic Pakistani by timely closing their shops and business but on the other hand, the federal government did not honour its promises made in the energy conference which is very lamentable. He said that Punjab’s economy is being ruined due to shortage of electricity, lakhs of people are becoming jobless and industries are being shifted to other parts of the country. He said that worst ever load-shedding is being made in Punjab due to which the real motives of federal government against Punjab are exposed. He said that there is a limit of tolerance and we cannot see ruination of Punjab’s industry. He said that Punjab is a big province of Pakistan and it has also a large share in GDP. He said that the ruining of Punjab’s economy is actually loss of national economy. He said that we left our Rs.11 billion share in the NFC award for the sake of national solidarity and the sacrifice made by Punjab in the approval of NFC Award was appreciated by all but if now there is any problem of shortage of electricity we should also face it unitedly. He said that Punjab government is speedily implementing the projects of generation of energy from alternate resources and a policy has been evolved with the cooperation of sugar mills owners for generation of energy from bagasse. He said that industrial, agriculture and other sectors from Karachi to Khyber are badly affected from the energy crisis. Had the rulers made sincere efforts for generation of energy from coal and bagasse instead of filling their pockets from the projects of rental power stations, thousands mega watts of electricity would have been generated from these sources, he added. He said that it is our national, political and religious obligation to bring the country out of crisis and quagmire of problems and put it on the road to progress through hard work and honesty.
CM aims one stone at two birds… hits neither
