Daily Times

LAHORE – Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), despite all efforts by opponents has remained successful in leadership because of its development agenda.

While talking to a meeting attended by renowned intellectuals and senior journalists to highlight the targets and achievements of development projects in the country, the prime minister said “The political opponents are making criticism just for the sake of power. We are clean and clear and are struggling for an effective accountability even more than the opponents.”

The meeting was attended by Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana, Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Minister for Information Broadcasting and National Heritage Pervaiz Rashid and other federal ministers, informed a prime minister house press release.

Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq and senior officers of the Ministry of Water and Power and National Highway Authority briefed the meeting in their respective areas regarding the ongoing projects. “We have already requested the Supreme Court for across the board accountability. The apex court can widen or amend the scope of the Terms of the Reference (ToRs) of the (proposed)  accountability commission. The opposition should not make any unnecessary criticism,” the prime minister remarked.

Nawaz said that Pakistan was benefitting from good ties at regional and international levels, besides advancing national development. He added that all important states including, China and the United States were eager to extend cooperation on development projects.

He said that additional investment of 12,000 megawatts of electricity has been added to the national grid last year. He maintained that in the past two decades only 10,000 megawatts of additional electricity was added.

The prime minister said the government had saved Rs 112 billion of the public money from three power projects and was striving to bring an end to load shedding by January 2018.He said by 2018, the power production would increase to 33,000

He said by 2018, the power production would increase to 33,000 MWs from current 17,000 MWs and every year, the duration of the load shedding will decrease remarkably.

Nawaz told the newsmen and intellectuals that road infrastructure in the country would increase fourfold as the private sector was investing in the communication projects.

He said the development projects in Gwadar which is being executed swiftly will not only benefit three billion people of the region but also the whole world.

He added that Central Asian states have a keen interest in the development projects of Gwadar.

Nawaz Sharif maintained that after completion of Gwadar projects by 2018, all gas projects under process will have the capacity to supply 1,800 million cubic feet of gas to the country and assured that by 10 years, the government will be able to provide an uninterrupted supply of gas nationwide.

To a question from a senior journalist, the Prime Minister said besides mega projects, the government was also paying equal attention to small-scale projects of public interest.