- Nawaz tells expatriates his govt is working day and night to overcome energy crisis but refuses to give a timeframe
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has said Pakistan will completely overcome power and gas crises within a couple of years.
Addressing Pakistanis in London, he said that the government was working day and night to overcome energy crisis and will get rid of power shortage. He however said that he could not give a timeframe for resolving the crisis.
The prime minister said that another 21,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity will be added to the national grid within the next eight to 10 years. He said that Diamer Bhasha and Dassu dams will contribute around 9,000 MW of electricity. The government will construct Diamer Bhasha Dam from its own resources if it does not receive foreign assistance, he added.
The premier said that effective economic policies of the government had restored investors’ confidence in Pakistan.
Sharif said that government’s expenditures have been slashed by 30 per cent, tax recovery has been increased by 16 percent while the remittances have witnessed a 12-percent surge. He said that the country’s growth ratio will be doubled within the next three years.
The prime minister said that tolerance was inevitable for national politics as Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) had also adopted the same policy during last five years. For the first time, a democratic transition has been successfully completed that should continue in future as well, he added.
Referring to his meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Sharif said that Britain had offered cooperation to Pakistan in various fields including energy and counterterrorism.