Daily Times

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday directed the relevant authorities to accelerate their efforts to curb electricity theft in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Sindh and Quetta.

The prime minister, chairing a review meeting on the anti-power theft campaign, also instructed to speed up the solarisation of agriculture tube-wells. He also sought a comprehensive report on the resistance faced during the anti-power theft drive in Balochistan and other allied issues.

The prime minister told the participants of the meeting that it was the caretaker government’s responsibility to leave behind an established system for the next democratic government concerning the steps like anti-power theft campaign.

The prime minister was briefed on the outcomes of the campaign since its launch. He was told that the process was going on successfully in collaboration with the provincial governments. It was informed that under the campaign, a total of 19,415 power thieves were arrested and 39,836 First Information Reports were registered against power theft since September. Around 189 government officials had also been suspended over their involvement in the electricity theft. The meeting was told that the campaign against the electricity theft remained the most successful in Mardan where the power theft ratio declined from 43 percent to 13 percent.

The participants were told that Rs 14 billion had been recovered under the campaign till September 30. Prime Minister Kakar lauded the performance of the Energy Ministry, power distribution companies, and relevant federal and provincial authorities for the successes achieved in the campaign.

The meeting was also apprised of the outcomes of the countrywide analysis to find out the causes behind the power theft. Caretaker federal ministers for interior, energy and information & broadcasting, provincial chief secretaries and relevant federal secretaries attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, Kakar said Pakistan was committed to the implementation of projects recently concluded with China in diverse sectors. He said the recent agreements between the two countries would add a new chapter to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, he said China’s Belt and Road Initiative was the guarantor of the development and prosperity of the entire region. The prime minister expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership for the warm welcome and arrangements during his recent visit to China.

“Pakistan will take strong steps to implement the Memorandum of Understanding and agreements signed during my recent visit to China,” he said.

He said the friendship between China and Pakistan was “higher than the towering mountains and deeper than the deep seas”.

He mentioned that the people of both countries were benefiting from the fruits of CPEC.

The Chinese ambassador assured the prime minister of China’s full cooperation in the development and economic stability of Pakistan.