MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Friday said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was strong and stable, adding the party will contest 2018 polls with a strong portfolio on the basis of several development projects started and completed by the present government.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the US $436 million 147 megawatts (MW) Patrind Hydropower Project on Kunhar River, PM Abbasi dismissed speculations that the government would not complete its term. “We are not political orphans and are here till June 15, 2018. Our party would contest the next polls with a stronger portfolio,” he said.
He further said, “We do not believe in hollow slogans, as we have carried out concrete work on the ground which showed our commitment towards serving the masses.” He said the next government would again be formed by the PML-N as the people knew that this was the only party that selflessly served the masses.
Abbasi said it was the Nawaz Sharif government that took the initiative of bringing back to life redundant power projects that were shelved by past governments.
He said even a cursory glance of power production from 2000 to 2013 would show that nothing significant was achieved on this front. The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the initiation of commercial operations of the Patrind Hydropower Plant and its timely completion. He hoped that the project would help meet the electricity demands of Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK).
Furthermore, Abbasi said that it was a landmark achievement for Pakistan and Korea to have jointly run the Daewoo bus service and for its long-term business commitment with Pakistan. He said that Pakistan was currently self-sufficient in power generation, adding that the current power output exceeded the demand. He hoped that it would be sufficient to meet the demand during the next year.
He regretted that the previous governments had failed in meeting their obligations and it was only the PML-N government that realised its responsibility and managed to produce 10,500 MW of electricity in four and a half years. He also said that several other projects were in different phases of completion and hoped the power generation in the country would further go up.
He cited the examples of Lowari tunnel and Diamer Bhasha dam and said that despite several promises made by the previous governments, no progress could be made on the projects. He also said that the projects of Gwadar and motorways, initiated by the PML-N government, were a reality and playing a key role in strengthening the national economy.
He also mentioned the Super Highway between Karachi and Hyderabad and said that the project was ignored even though five prime ministers from Sindh have so far headed the country. Similarly, he said that the Nandipur project too was neglected previously and only made functional by the PML-N government.
Moreover, the prime minister said that the federal government accorded high priority to projects in AJK and said that several other projects were in different phases of completion. He assured that the government fully stood by the AJK government and would continue to facilitate development projects in the region.
He said the PML-N government had provided record funds to the provinces, while adding that the funding for AJK had been doubled from Rs 11 billion to Rs 22 billion. Earlier, he inaugurated the run-of-the-river project that had been completed by Star Hydro Power Limited, an Independent Power Producer (IPP). The project is located near village Patrind of Muzaffarabad district of AJK.
The prime minister was also briefed about the project by the officials concerned. Under the project, the water of Kunhar River would be diverted through a weir, located near village Patrind, and a left bank conveyance system of head race tunnel to the right bank of river Jhelum, near the city of Muzaffarabad, where a powerhouse had also been built.
AJK President Masood Khan, Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Birjees Tahir and other Kashmiri ministers and lawmakers were also present on the occasion.
