Nawaz vows to continue delivering

Inaugurates first phase of Bhikki power plant which will add 717-MW of electricity to grid; says people elected him to work, not for hearing verdicts; those responsible for current loadshedding are threatening to launch protest; Shahbaz says if court judgment is to be remembered for 20 years, PM would be for 40 years

SHEIKHUPURA: Unfazed by the court verdict to be announced today (Thursday), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday promised to continue delivering and vowed that the government would complete the development agenda, including elimination of power loadshedding, according to the announced schedule.

The prime minister said the people had given a mandate to him to serve, not hearing verdicts. He urged his political opponents not to indulge in blame game or they would end up in oblivion as the people would only remember the PML-N for the service to them.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the operationalisation of the first phase of Bhikki power plant near Sheikhupura, adding 717 MW of electricity to the national grid, Nawaz Sharif warned Imran Khan to desist from levelling baseless allegations. "The newcomers in politics can only lie, do sit-ins, level baseless allegations and make tall claims,” he said.

"Fear Allah, stop politics of allegations, else you too will go into oblivion and in the end only the PML-N will be at the fore," he added. He said despite their efforts, they had failed to win thehearts of the people and mentioned the defeat of the PTI candidate in a by-election on Tuesday.

"We earlier won by 8,000 votes in the 2013 general elections but yesterday we led by over 22,000 votes, despite the fact that all other political forces backed the PTI candidate," he said. The prime minister, who reached Bhikki in the afternoon after hectic engagements in the federal capital, appeared calm and upbeat.

In a thinly-veiled reference to the PPP, he hit out at his critics and said, “Those who are responsible for loadshedding [in the country] are now threatening to hold protests. "You must be ashamed of yourself. Had you considered Pakistan your own country and served the nation with honesty and dedication, we would not have faced such a bad situation," the prime minister said.

"If you had worked with honesty, this country would have been successful today,” he said, adding, “We are trying to fix your mistakes." The prime minister spoke extensively on the development projects undertaken during his tenure, repeatedly criticising other parties for not doing enough within their own constituencies. "Why weren't the motorways ever expanded? Why is it that the federal government had to take the initiative of starting new infrastructure projects in Karachi?" he said. He reminded that the provincial government should fix the law and order situation in Karachi and create a scheme for drinking water and public transportation in Sindh.

“We are happy to do this but shouldn't the Sindh government have taken the initiative on its own?" Nawaz Sharif asked. "We have broken the back of terrorist organisations. Was this only our prerogative? Why didn't the past governments do anything when they were in power?" he said.

"We are not looking at 2018. We are looking ahead for the next 10, 20 years," the prime minister said. “The country would continue to prosper. The children of the poor will get education. This is our dream.”

The prime minister assured the people that loadshedding would be eliminated by mid-next year and said his government has planned provision of electricity for 50 years to cater to the future demand. He said Balochistan was abandoned by the previous governments but several development projects were currently near fruition there.

He said the federal government was pleased to undertake several development projects in Karachi and Sindh despite the fact that it was the provincial responsibility. The prime minister said there was no such tradition in the country to complete large projects in a short span of 18 months. Operationalisation of Bhikki power plant in 18 months was a new chapter in the country's history of progress and prosperity, he added. He said there had been a trend in the past to complete a project costing Rs10 billion for Rs100 billion and mentioned delays in completion of Lowari Tunnel, Nandipur, and Neelum Jhelum.

"Had Shahbaz Sharif not taken personal interest and not monitored the project, the cost would have escalated," he said and referred to Haveli Bahadur and Baloki projects, where the savings were to the tune of Rs154 billion.

"Had we moved at this pace in the past 70 years, Pakistan would have been an economic power today.”

The prime minister said the delay in Haveli Bahadur Shah and Baloki projects was due to delay in shipment of turbines and all efforts were being made to complete those in time. Every month a new project would be inaugurated, he added.

He said Chashma 315 MW would be operational in May while many others were in the pipeline. Several projects would be completed by next year and around 10,000-MW would be available by June next year.

Nawaz Sharif said the Punjab government had spent from its own resources on the Haveli Bahadur Shah, Baloki and Bhikki projects. He said strict action would be taken against those responsible for the current loadshedding.

He said there had been a seven per cent increase in the demand of electricity against four per cent in the past. The country was moving ahead at a fast pace as evident from the growing demand, he added.

He said Bhasha and Dassu dams would be completed in the next few years, adding 9,000-MW of electricity to the system.

Nawaz Sharif termed the completion of the gas power plant in 18 months a record and said the government had saved a huge amount of Rs50 billion owing to transparent bidding. The plant would provide power at the cheapest rate of Rs7.37 per unit, he added.

In his address, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif lauded the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his commitment and vision to address the serious issue of power shortages and said he took the country forward despite the problems created by the sit-in protesters and their delaying tactics in taking the country forward.

Shahbaz said the prime minister would be remembered for the power plants being set up under his leadership for at least 40 years. He referred to an observation of a learned judge who had said that the court’s verdict would be remembered for 20 years.

He said the PTI's sit-in in Islamabad was a heinous conspiracy against the country as its protesters refused to budge even during the visit of the Chinese President to Pakistan. The visit had to be postponed for over 10 months and the country's march towards progress and prosperity delayed, he added.

The chief minister was critical of those who looted billions in the Nandipur project and said the PML-N government had to spend an additional amount of around Rs20 billion to make it operational

He said the PPP government had initiated the project without any transparency as it was supposed to be completed at the cost of Rs33 billion. "Those who looted this nation today shout at the top of their voice in claiming that they served the people," he remarked.

Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated the Bhikki power plant, which would save Rs250 billion in operational cost alone in the next 30 years. The highest output gas plant was built at the lowest cost ever leading to the lowest production cost in the world of $466,000 per megawatt (MW).

The Bhikki power plant, a key project of the Punjab government, upon completion would provide a total of 1,180-MW of electricity. The project runs on General Electric 209HA Combined Cycle Technology being executed by Harbin Electric International as EPC Contractor. The project has been completed jointly by AEPL, General Electric, Harbin Electric International and their construction contractor Tianjin Electric.