Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that with the fast improving law and order situation, stable economy and the government's commitment to rid the country of electricity loadshedding by 2018, Pakistan was changing "in real terms and not in slogans". "With the grace of Allah Almighty, Pakistan is changing. Not in slogans or promises, it is changing in real terms," the Prime Minister remarked while addressing a large gathering of Pakistani community here at the Pakistan Embassy late Tuesday night.
PM Nawaz Sharif, who is in the US capital on a four-day official visit on the invitation of President Barack Obama, updated the Pakistani community about the policy initiatives as well as practical steps taken over the past two-and-a-half years by the present government to retrieve the country from the various challenges it was facing.
He said when the PML-N government took over the reign of country after the 2013 general election, adding it was facing the challenges of terrorism, energy crisis, economic melt-down and the poor law and order situation in Balochistan and Karachi. The PM said investors were shy to come to the country; there were no international sporting events and Pakistan was on the verge of being declared as a failed state at international level.
He, however, added the government through its bold and consensus decisions launched the Zarb-e-Azb operation to eliminate the menace of terrorism, which had taken lives of around 50,000 people in Pakistan including the common people. The PM said the operation Zarb-e-Azb was going on successfully; the back of terrorists had been broken; their sanctuaries had been dismantled and the day was not far away when the menace of terrorism would be completely rooted out from Pakistan.
In this respect, he lauded the sacrifices of the officers and Jawans of the country's armed forces and other law enforcement agencies. Talking about the government's efforts and measures towards tackling the energy crisis, he referred to the launching of 3600MW three LNG-based power producing units and said those would be completed by the end of 2017. The PM also informed the Pakistani community about the government's efforts to check the cost of these LNG-based projects, and said those projects which were originally planned to be completed at Rs 320 billion, would now be completed at a cost of Rs 165 billion.
He said even Nepra had endorsed Rs 90 billion cost for one LNG-based project, adding, but the government got it done at Rs 55 billion per unit as it accepted the lowest bidder and saved the national money in billions of rupees. The PM also mentioned the ongoing other electricity generation projects including the coal-based 1,300MW project at Port Qasim, 1,320MW coal-based project in Sahiwal, 960MW Neelum-Jhelum hydro-power project, 400MW wind energy project, 300MW solar power project etc and said those projects would be completed between 2016 to 2018 during the tenure of PML-N government. "We will Insha Allah rid the country of electricity loadshedding before the end of our constitutional term," he maintained.
Highlighting the government's achievements on economic front, the PM said with the country's GDP growth recorded at over four percent last year, the target for current fiscal was five percent, adding, "We have come at this level after 23 years." He said the budget deficit scaled down to 5.3 percent, inflation was record low at six percent, interest rates came down to six percent from 15 percent and the stock market had registered 72 percent increase, which showed enhanced investor confidence. The PM also mentioned the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as his government's success, as the project was bringing $46 billion investment.
He said after the success of Peshawar-Islamabad-Lahore Motorway, the government was now going to launch the mega Lahore-Karachi motorway project. The PM also mentioned other road and infrastructure projects including the construction of road networks in Balochistan as well as in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa like Hazara Motorway, which would go upto Khunjrab Pass at China border. He said the road, which was disconnected at Karakoram Highway due to the creation of Atta Abad Lake following a landslide, had been restored by constructing tunnels at a cost of Rs 27 billion.
Similarly, the PM said Pakistan and China were working on the upgradation of Gwadar Port, which would be turned into a free port, adding, a new airport would also be constructed in Balochistan. He said with the co-operation of Russia and China, a gas pipeline was also being laid in Pakistan, adding, it would help strengthen relations with Russia. The PM said the international financial institutions were recognising improvement in the country's economic credentials and the credit rating agencies had improved Pakistan status from positive to stable.
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