ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have strongly criticized the government for its 'failed' economic policies and vowed to continue 'exposing' the 'incompetence' of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Speaking a news conference, PML-N parliamentary leader in National Assembly Khawaja Asif, party's Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal and Awais Ahamd Khan Leghari lambasted the PTI government for its alleged failure in every sector including in bringing the electricity circular debt down and the increase in power tariff.
Khawaja Asif maintained that the circular debt which was Rs 1000 billion during the PML-N government has now reached to Rs 2100 billion.
He said that the circular debt has doubled in the last two years in PTI government while they have promised a year ago that it will be reduced to Rs 100 billion.
He said that the power tariff is being increased for both domestic consumers and the industrial sector, adding that the electricity shortfall will further result in deteriorating the country's economy.
He said that the PML-N government in its tenure installed the power plants including the RLNG with a view to make the electricity available for the people at cheaper prices.
"But the tariff of electricity is not only being raised for domestic and commercial consumers, but it is also showing a shortfall," he said.
He also claimed that the PML-N government installed a number of power projects in its five-year term which were not even set up in the last 70 years.
"We brought the electricity generation to its double despite the fact that this man [Imran Khan] wasted our one and a half years," he said while referring to the PTI's sit-in protests during the previous PML-N tenure.
On the other hand, he continued that the PTI government did not install a single project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He also pointed out that the harvesting season of wheat has just ended, but the prices of wheat flour have reached to its highest level.
"The government is currently promoting the mafias," he said, adding that some are being obliged through utility stores, while others through the approval by cabinet or the economic coordination committee (ECC).
He said that PML-N will continue to 'expose' the incompetence of the PTI government. "Their [government] only performance is the politically motivated cases against the opponents, but those standing beside them became 'Hajis' and the government is reluctant to go after them," he added.
Ahsan Iqbal said that in the history of Pakistan, the PML-N through its 'vision 2025' integrated food security, energy security and water security, adding that these were put on the priority because in the past these sectors were completely neglected.
"Unfortunately, this government has ruined this integrated development model. The roadmap for the country's development, which we had made, has now been put in the dustbin by this government," he said, adding that 'this is the only government which is running without any development plan for the last two years'.
While speaking on the occasion, Awais Leghari demanded that a judicial commission should be constituted to conduct a probe as to why the government is not producing electricity from LNG but instead it is being produced by purchasing fuel at the higher rates.
After adding 12,000 MW, and additional 700 MW through nuclear energy and after leaving the 2200 MW under construction plant, he added that all the projects that are currently being implemented were started by PML-N under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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