Federal Information Minister Pervez Rasheed said on Saturday that the government is allowing a subsidy of Rs 8 per unit on electricity bills to the people.
“Thermal power projects are generating electricity at the rate of Rs 15 per unit and we are providing a subsidy of Rs 8 per unit to the people”, he said.
Nawaz Sharif opposed electricity generation through thermal power projects in 1993, he said.
“We voiced protest against thermal power projects from 1993 to 1996 in and outside the parliament but no heed was paid to our protest nor did anyone try to understand our stance, he said.
The minister said the former government had bequeathed the present government with loans amounting to Rs 6,000 billion, including the circular debt of Rs 503 billion.
“The national economy has to be corrected. It has been based on wrong foundations,” he said.
The world powers made headway when a competitive environment was extended to them but in our country such an environment has not been created, he observed.
There is no strategy to generate electricity from coal-based or hydel power projects, he said.
“Since our governments are not allowed to complete their term but are thrown out of office, the governments which completed their full term should be questioned why they did not allow these projects to materialise,” Rasheed said.
The incidents of kidnapping of the sons of slain Salman Taseer and former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani which occurred during the previous government were deplorable, he said, adding that the present government was grieved over those incidents.
“This way we have damaged our position and have also desecrated the sanctity of our borders,” Rasheed said.
“Such incidents are taking place due to our wrong policies. The terrorists enter Pakistan by crossing over our borders and indulge in various criminal activities,” he said.
He went on to add that other countries had such complaints with us and we also lodge complaints with them.
He said the country would have to be freed from these criminals besides ensuring the restoration of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Eliminating these elements was on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) agenda, he said.
Responding to a question he said the correct use of words was essential.
Sometimes the word “shameful” becomes an abuse, he said, adding “I appeal to the educational institutions to impart courses to the people who do not know the meaning of their words.”
On the issue of drone strikes he said Pakistan wanted to sort out all issues through dialogue.
