Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday said that the federal government was “behaving like a stepmother” with Punjab, and until it does not stop this attitude, the camp office will keep functioning.
The chief minister was speaking at Minar-e-Pakistan, where he had set up his camp office to protest against the ongoing power crisis in the province.
The cabinet members along with the chief minister tied black ribbons around their arms to symbolically protest against the federal government for failing to control the energy crisis in the country. Secretary Interior Punjab briefed the cabinet on law and order situation in the province.
The chief minister had reached his camp office at Minar-e-Pakistan through public transport from his residence at Model Colony to Chair the provincial cabinet meeting.
The chief minister discussed issues related to the power crisis and budget 2012 in the provincial cabinet meeting that went on for two hours and strategy to provide relief to common masses regarding energy crisis
The chief minister asked the chief secretary to speak to the federal government about the circular debt.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, Shahbaz Sharif said Punjab shared only Rs 4 billion in Rs4 00 billion circular debt while the federal government was responsible for the remaining debt.
He said that the federal government has done injustice to Punjab by not implementing the decisions unanimously taken in the energy conference and depriving Punjab of 700MW electricity.
The chief minister said the federal government was wrongly propagating that the provinces could generate electricity while the federal government’s guaranty was compulsory for initiation of any power project in the province.
He said the situation would have been different if Punjab was allowed to generate electricity as the Punjab government has a track record of completing several mega projects within few months.
The Punjab CM added that the protest camp would continue till there came an end to power cuts and there were just distribution of electricity while all provincial ministers and advisors would also conduct their daily work in protest camps outside their offices.
Shahbaz Sharif concluded that the energy crisis cost a loss of Rs 90 billion to the economy of Punjab.
He said that the energy crisis can be controlled by paying Rs 400 billion circular debt.
“I request with my hands folded before them (the federal government) to not cause any harm to the protestors.”
He further said the fact that a population that pays millions of rupees in taxes is deprived of electricity is shameful.
Meanwhile, during the provincial cabinet meeting some women were barred from meeting with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at camp office.
After the meeting, a few protesters were called in the camp office. Following this incident, dozens of protesting women, tried to barge inside the office.
One of the protestors, Shahida Bilqis got involved in a fist fight with the security officer when she was not allowed inside the camp office.
Meeting with disappointment, the woman started slapping herself and fainted as a result.
Following this incident, the women were allowed in the office where Khawaja Salman Rafique, the Special Assistant of the chief minister, assured that their grievances will be shortly addressed.
Punjab cabinet meets at Minar-e-Pakistan
