ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan was facing economic challenges and was engaged with the IMF to finalize the 9th Review but there was an inordinate delay and it was at that critical juncture that China came to Pakistan’s rescue.
The prime minister was addressing the ceremony to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and China for a 1,200 MW Chashma-5 (C-5) nuclear power project worth $3.48 billion here. President of China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas Ltd and Member Power and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Muhammad Saeedur Rehman signed the MoU.
Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir, Pang Chunxue, Chargé D’affaires of China and Shen Yanfeng, Vice President of China National Nuclear Corporation, were also present on the occasion.
Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan had met all the conditions of the IMF three months ago, but there has been an inordinate delay. The prime minister pointed out that other than China, Pakistan had also great friends such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar that had been and still supporting the country. However, he said at this critical juncture, Chinese support was outstanding and Pakistan was deeply obliged to President Xi and Chinese leadership. During the last few months, China also renewed commercial and sovereign loans, which reflected unparallel friendship between the two countries. Shehbaz Sharif said the nuclear power project was a great step forward towards economic cooperation between the two countries. He recalled that the decision to start the same project had been taken and the main conditions were agreed upon during the previous government of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif but the successive government put this project in cold storage. Keeping in view higher international inflation, the project cost would have been much higher than that determined in 2017-18 but the Chinese government not only did not raise the cost accordingly but also gave a discount of around Rs30 billion.
The prime minister said under the difficult economic situation, investment from China in this project to the tune of $4.8 billion sent a clear message that Pakistan was a place where Chinese companies and investors continued to show their trust and faith. “This reflects the famous quote that our friendship is higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the deepest ocean, sweeter than sugar and honey, and stronger than iron and steel,” Sharif reiterated adding that President Xi Jinping had called this friendship that of iron brothers. He also mentioned that recently he also inaugurated the K-3 nuclear project in Karachi. Shehbaz also thanked the new military leadership for taking an interest in this project. “This is a beautiful combination that all political parties and military leadership are on one page,” he said.
In his tweets, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared the signing of the addendum to the contract on Chashma V as a major step forward towards the construction of the project that will add 1,200 MW of clean, affordable and reliable nuclear power to the system. He said this project was part of our energy security plan to diversify the energy mix with a focus on ensuring the provision of cheap electricity to the industry and relief to the common man. “Can’t thank Chinese leadership enough for their continued trust in Pakistan & the prosperous future of our people,” the PM said adding the project will be built with Chinese investment of $4.8 billion.
The prime minister claimed that despite the inflation since being signed in 2017, China National Nuclear Cooperation did not increase the project cost. Rather, it gave a discount of 750 million RMB (Rs30 billion) on his request. “Pakistan-China Iron Brotherhood continues to deepen and this vital project will add a new facet to this multilayered cooperative strategic partnership,” Shehbaz concluded.
Later, addressing a ceremony of police martyrs at the Islamabad Police Lines, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government is determined to strengthen the professionalism of police by boosting their skills and capacity to fight against wrongdoings in society.
“The government is focused on providing all facilities to our force and their families,” the PM maintained and added that every recommendation in this regard would be fulfilled despite economic constraints. “The police martyrs are our pride, who sacrificed their lives for our protection,” he maintained, adding, it is our duty to remember the families of the martyrs. “I salute Islamabad Police.” He said the salaries of the Islamabad police had been equalized with the salaries of the Punjab Police. The prime minister also unveiled plaques for the Dolphin Force and Special Protection Unit (SPU) Headquarters and an educational institute for the families of police officers.
The prime minister said that the plan for the establishment of the Dolphin Force in Islamabad should be immediately prepared on the pattern he had introduced in Punjab with the assistance of Turkiye. Instructors from Turkiye would be brought to impart training and a comprehensive programme in this regard would be introduced, he added. Shehbaz Sharif said that a hospital for the police force and their families in Islamabad should have been constructed in the past. Now, the police force and their families would be provided with the latest health and educational facilities.
“It is the remarkable job of the Islamabad Police Chief that they inducted about 2,000 jawans strictly on merit which should be the standard emulated across the society,” the prime minister maintained.
Earlier, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah referred to the payment of arrears to families of Shuhada and said over Rs1 billion rupees were paid within three days under the direction of the prime minister. He informed that deserving children of the deceased police force were given jobs on merit. Sanaulah informed that salaries of the Capital Territory Islamabad were made equal to those of the Punjab police. He said that the Dolphin Force, Special Protection Unit and Anti-terrorism Force would be soon made operational in Islamabad.
The prime minister also performed a formal opening of the newly constructed and much-awaited Margalla Avenue which starts from GT Road (leading to Peshawar) to Islamabad (near sector D-12). Later, he also performed the groundbreaking of 7.5 kilometres long Sikandar-e-Azam Road which would be connected with Khanpur Dam and Hariput district. He called upon the nation and all political parties to work together for bringing the country out of crisis and taking it to new heights of development. He said due to the past government’s criminal negligence, the citizens of the federal capital had to wait for years to enjoy their due facilities. Although it was a difficult task but not impossible to bring the country out of the crisis, he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to undertake an official visit to France to participate in the New Global Financing Pact Summit, being held in Paris from June 22-23. The prime minister is visiting Paris, at the invitation of President of France Emmanuel Macron, according to Foreign Office.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the Israeli expansion plan to build over 4,500 new settlements inside Occupied West Bank.
In a tweet, he said this made the universally-accepted goal of achieving a Two-state Solution even more distant & sows the seeds of renewed & perpetual instability and violence. The unprovoked, illegal & unethical Israeli actions continue to undermine peace with no regard for international law, and the UN resolutions, he added. “Pakistan is committed to supporting the Palestinians’ just struggle for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Shehbaz congratulated Saifullah Solangi for winning four medals in Special Olympics.