ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, has termed the State Bank of Pakistan's report and the State of Industry Report of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) as powerful endorsements of the PML-N's stance and an irrefutable proof of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's "lies".
"This Nepra report has proven that everything the PML-N told the nation was true to the last detail. Instead of operating economic power plants, the nation was robbed by generating expensive electricity, which multiplied problems due to low production capacity and expensive power plants. Running these expensive power plants increased the financial burden and debt on the country, which incurred more loss to the people and the country," he said.
"The loss of $500 million (Rs83 billion) to the national exchequer in just three months was evidence of the Imran government's crimes. This government bought 30 percent expensive LNG from the market, adding more burden on the nation. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was sadly blind to all this and was busy digging up contracts and agreements done half a decade ago," Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement, on Sunday. He said that the State Bank's second quarterly report showed that the LNG has reduced the cost of electricity. He said by the grace of Allah, the Almighty, even a government obsessed with political vengeance could not conceal the PML-N's honest, diligent, and transparent services for the nation.
The savings of Rs234 billion between 2017 and 2020 was a testament of the PML-N's sincere public service that saved the nations money and provided much-needed relief, he added.
He said the first quarterly report of the SBP for 2018 and 2019 confirmed that the reduction in the current account deficit was due to the PML-N's initiatives. Prices of petroleum products accounted for one-third of the 22.7 percent drop in imports through the PML-N's hard work under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, he pointed out.
Decreased import of furnace oil and use of domestic coal reduced imports too was a victory for Nawaz Sharif's vision, he said.
The PML-N president said that with the cooperation of China in 2019 the operation of a 660MW coal-fired power plant in Thar increased power generation by 45 percent. Shehbaz said all these facts were clearly visible in both reports and expressed hope that maybe the NAB would also open its eyes and learn from these reports.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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