The Punjab Forum on Wednesday said that vested interests have targeted Thar Coal project after burying Kala Bagh dam (KBD) project to bleed the country dry.
Pakistan can never become a stabilised and energy secured country in the absence of critical projects which are being made controversial on purpose, it said.
Supreme Court should immediately take notice of the situation and initiate action against lobbies which are working to fulfil the agenda of foreign powers and multinational oil companies, said Baig Raj, President of the Punjab Forum.
Speaking at a meeting regarding energy crisis, he said that Planning Commission (PC) has sent very wrong signals by opposing Thar Coal project.
PC would never raise any objection on public sector enterprises which are wasting more resources than nation spends on defence, he added.
Mr Baig Raj said that Dr. Samar Mubarik Mand should not be punished for trying to generate electricity without the involvement of multinationals; nation still remember his services as member of a team that made our defence impregnable.
The meeting observed that some elements successfully transformed a purely technical issue of construction of KBD into a burning political issue which is keeping country insecure.
Now some influential owners of IPPs and rental power projects have also started a campaign against efforts to produce cheap energy.
The meeting welcomed MQM-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed’s statement in which he vowed to unveil names of politicians from Sindh who received bribes from India to oppose the KBD.
Names of politicians of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa who want Pakistan to plunge into darkness should also be brought to limelight, it was demanded.
The meeting was also attended by Hydel power expert engineer Shahabuddin, scientist Dr. Riaz Ahmad, general Secretary of Punjab Forum Malik Zaieem and others.
They said that India is world’s number one dam making country outside US and China, but it would block any move to build feasible dams in Pakistan.
They lamented that Pakistani companies are providing cement for the construction of dozens of the dams in India for profit despite knowing that New Delhi wants Pakistan to become a desert.
Chief Justice should take note of the situation, expose to all the characters of treachery and bring them to book, the Punjab Forum demanded.
SC asked to take note of conspiracies against Thar Coal project
