Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his government's resolve to make Pakistan an economically viable and self-reliant country. "We are self-sufficient in the defence field and now time has come to become self-reliant on economic front," Nawaz said while addressing a function in connection with Youm-e-Takbeer here on Wednesday. The premier said he would not sit idle till the elimination of load-shedding from the country.
The present government was setting up small power generation units to produce electricity. "One power generation unit is being built at the cost of Rs 100 billion," he said, adding that it was his government's responsibility to generate electricity for the next 20 years. "We need Rs 1000 billion to generate 5000 megawatts of electricity which will be enough for our needs," Nawaz said.
Nawaz said several projects have been launched in power sector not only to enhance power generation but also provide the same to consumers on reduced rates. Ten coal-based power plants will be installed at Gaddani, he added. The Prime Minister said ensuring durable peace with eradication of terrorism and extremism in the country and good relations with neighbours were imperative for progress and prosperity. "We need to have good ties with all the neighbouring countries to reap the fruit of progress and prosperity," he said.
Nawaz said China has always stood by Pakistan in the hour of trial. Had there been no Chinese co-operation, we were not able to set up even a single power generation unit. He said that Lahore-Karachi Motorway project will also be launched soon. He said that Metro Bus Project, after its success in Lahore, is being executed in Rawalpindi-Islamabad to provide international level transport facilities to people. He announced that present government would play a role in the construction of Karachi's mass transit system.
The premier said the plans of those "who hold protests, long marches and train marches are not understandable. I fail to understand what is their agenda," the premier said. He said that the politics of the 1980s and 90s would no longer work. He further said the government's agenda was the development of Pakistan and asked about the agenda of those holding protests. He also said May 28 is a very important day in the political and defence history of the country. On this day (May 28, 1998), a PML-N government decided to conduct nuclear tests in order to make defence of Pakistan impregnable.
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