PTI govt is liar with no shame: Khaqan

ISLAMABAD: Terming the incumbent PTI government shameless, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Tuesday rejected allegations against the PML-N leaders regarding irregularities in power plants projects and invited the ministers for debate in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here, the senior PML-N leader said the prime minister and cabinet members have crossed all limits in levelling false allegations with regard to setting up of power plants.

"During the last few days, the prime minister and members of his cabinet have issued statements which are false," the former prime minister said. The PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb and Musaddiq Malik were also present on the occasion.

Inviting the PTI ministers, who were levelling allegations, to conduct investigations, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said he himself and other party leaders were ready respond to false claims.

“I take responsibility for all decisions taken during my term as prime minister,” Abbasi said.

He said there should be limits to lies and accusations and those who level the most allegations are thieves themselves.

“Those who are levelling flase allegations should apologise if their claims are proved false while inviting the information minister for debate on the issue. He also rejected claims of the Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry that power plants set during tenure of the last PML-N government produced electricity at extremely high rates, saying the minister did not know about rates of electricity.

“I will respond to questions of the information minister if he sits with me,” Abbasi said, adding that it is 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 cheapest electricity in Pakistan’s history and are still generating cheap electricity. He said the previous government also lowered rates which were determined by Nepra.

He said that 3600 megawatts LNG power plants were installed which are providing Rs5 per unit electricity up till now. He further said that two coal-based power plants were installed which provide cheapest electricity to people of Pakistan in country’s history.

“Neelum-Jhelum was completed and Nandipur power plant was commenced in the days of General Musharraf, it was a devastated plant, but we completed it. Terbala-4, which produces 1,400 megawatts power, was completed,” he said.

Abbasi went on to say that four diesel plants were converted to LNG and they produce 1,000MW and its savings went into national exchequer. “The chairman of their task force should tell the government about these savings,” he said.

Abbasi said Thar coal-based projects, started by the PML-N government, are in the pipeline and they are under construction and soon the people will see the fruits of these projects as well, while 3,000MW of nuclear power plants have been commenced. “The people of Pakistan and the country will bear fruit of these projects within the next 15 years,” he said.

Abbasi said if the incumbent government feels that solution of all problems being faced by the country lies in putting leaders of opposition parties in jail then they should do the same job first.

To a question, he said the CPEC projects could be reviewed if both Pakistan and Chinese governments agree on it. He said the incumbent government should desist from making the project controversial.