ISLAMABAD: Terming the incumbent PTI government shameless, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi rejected the allegations against the PML-N leaders about irregularities in power plants projects and invited the ministers for a debate over the issue.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the senior PML-N leader said the prime minister and cabinet members had crossed all limits in levelling false allegations about these power plants. "During the last few days, the prime minister and members of his cabinet have issued several false statements," he said. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb and Musaddiq Malik were also present on the occasion.
Inviting the PTI ministers who are levelling allegations to conduct investigations, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said he himself and other party leaders were ready to respond to false claims. "I take responsibility for all the decisions taken during my term as prime minister," Abbasi said. He said there should be limit to lies and accusations and those levelling the most allegations are thieves themselves. Those levelling false allegations should apologise if their claims are proved false, he said while inviting the information minister for debate. He also rejected claims of the Fawad Chaudhry that power plants set up during the PML-N government tenure produced electricity at extremely high rates, saying the minister does not know anything about the electricity tariff.
"I will respond to the questions of the information minister if he sits with me," Abbasi said, adding it is the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) which decides electricity rates and not the government. The former premier said the PML-N government set up plants which produced the cheapest electricity in Pakistan's history and are still generating cheap electricity. He said the PML-N government also lowered the rates which were determined by Nepra.
He said that 3,600 megawatts LNG power plants were installed which are providing Rs5 per unit electricity till now. He further said similarly two coal-based power plants were installed, which provide the cheapest electricity to people in country’s history. The Neelum-Jhelum project was completed.
The Nandipur power plant commenced during the tenure of General Musharraf and it was a devastated project, but we completed it, he said. “Tarbela-4, which produces 1,400 megawatts power, was also completed in our tenure,” he said. Abbasi went on to say that four diesel plants were converted to LNG base and they produced 1,000MW and itssavings went to the national exchequer. “The chairman of their task force should inform the government about these savings as well,” he said.
Abbasi said the Thar coal-based projects were started by the PML-N government and are in the pipeline and soon the people will see the fruits of these projects. Besdies 3,000MW of nuclear power plants were also started. “The people of Pakistan will bear the fruit of these projects within the next 15 years,” he said. The former prime minister said if the incumbent government feels that the solution to all the problems being faced by the country lies in putting leaders of the opposition parties in jail then they should better do it. To a question, he said the CPEC projects could only be reviewed if both Pakistan and Chinese governments agree to it. He said the incumbent government should desist from making the CPEC controversial.