PM says Pakistan, India must divert resources to people’s welfare

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said late Monday that Pakistan and India will have to join their heads together so that they can address common issues like poverty and ignorance.  

Addressing the nation over Radio and Television networks he said history bears testimony to the fact that progress and development of a nation is deeply linked to cordial relations with neighbours.

“It is because of this that we want good relations with all neighbours including India.” He said he has always wanted good relations with India and people supported his contention during recent elections.

He said both countries should realize that instead of wasting their energies and resources on wars‚ they should wage war against poverty‚ ignorance and disease. He said the nation is fully prepared to defend the motherland along with its valiant armed forces.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan is today facing serious challenges like terrorism endangering the very survival of the country and worst kind of load-shedding that has paralysed the economy.

He expressed resolve of the government to eliminate the menace of terrorism‚ improve economy‚ address power crisis and pursue good neighbourly relations with all countries of the region including India for regional peace and prosperity.    

“The very foundations of the country have been shaken due to mal-administration‚ rampant corruption in every sphere and inefficiency of the last fourteen years that has brought national institutions like PIA‚ Pakistan Steel‚ Railway and WAPDA to the verge of virtual collapse. These institutions are inflicting huge losses of five billion rupees annually to the national exchequer. He said national debt which stood at just three thousand billion rupees in June 1990 has now soared to 14500 billion rupees.”

The Prime Minister said one can gauge the insensitivity of the previous regime and the level of corruption from two instances of Nandipur and Neelum-Jhelum power projects. Their execution was either obstructed or criminally delayed leading to massive increase in the cost and delay in their completion at a time when the country badly needed electricity.

He recounted the measures taken by the present government to overcome the electricity crisis. He said despite financial constraints‚ the government arranged retirement of circular debt worth 480 billion rupees as a result of which electricity generation has increased by 1700 MW.

He said another factor of load-shedding was massive theft of electricity and gas ranging between 150 to 250 billion rupees annually and that is why the government has launched an aggressive campaign against power and gas theft and the campaign would continue with full resolve.

Nawaz Sharif said a consensus national energy policy has been approved with input from the provinces which is an important milestone in efforts to overcome the electricity crisis. He said long term measures are also being initiated to mitigate the electricity shortage and soon coal-based power plants with aggregate capacity of 6600 MW would be inaugurated at Gaddani‚ followed by establishment of plants at Thar. He expressed the confidence that the menace of load-shedding would be over during constitutional tenure of the PML(N) Government.

Referring to terrorism‚ the Prime Minister said the government was determined to tackle the problem either through dialogue or with full might of the state and all state institutions are on the same page on the issue. He said the government has more than one options to tackle the problem but wisdom demands that there is no loss of innocent lives. He invited those treading the path of terrorism to dialogue to end the vicious cycle of bloodshed.

Mian Nawaz Sharif said it is time for bold review of our foreign policy as without the scant national resources cannot be exploited for the good of the poor and progress and prosperity of the country. He said his dream to make Pakistan an Asian tiger is deeply linked to this.

The Prime Minister said we will have to pursue a strategy on Afghanistan that highlights bright face of the country in the comity of nations.

He said the government has a clear cut position on drone attacks which are violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and this was directly communicated to US Secretary of State John Kerry urging him to stop these attacks. He said the Un Secretary General has also expressed concern over killing of peaceful civilians in these attacks.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Aug 19 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.