CHASHMA: Unfazed by Asif Ali Zardari’s announcement a day before that he would join his PPP lawmakers in parliament to give a ‘tough time’ to the ruling PML-N as well as the PTI’s decision to join any grand alliance against the Nawaz Sharif-led government, the prime minister on Wednesday rubbished all such moves by the opposition and took a swipe at his opponents who while in office had failed to deliver.

A confident-looking Sharif, in his speech at the inauguration of Chashma-III nuclear power plant, said that previous governments “must be questioned over their grave negligence” because they had pushed the country into darkness.

“They must be grilled for bringing in an era of darkness to Pakistan and giving the nation a curse of 18-hour...loadshedding a day,” the prime minister said.

He emphasised that an uninterrupted supply of electricity was a lifeline for the continuity of industrial activity in the country, which had suffered a setback because of the power crisis.

Rejects politics of sit-ins, launches 340MW nuclear power plant

The previous government was led by the PPP with Mr Zardari holding the office of the president but Mr Sharif also lashed out at the PTI led by Imran Khan.

He said the country was now coming out of its troubles with the quick completion of development projects, and improved economy and law and order.

He said since everything was going on in right direction, all the political sit-ins and agitation were simply useless.

“Do not create hurdles and put Pakistan’s interests ahead of your personal ones,” he asked the politicians.

He said such attempts were meant to interrupt the journey of progress and urged the political parties to rise above mutual differences and work in the interest of Pakistan.

He said that ending loadshedding was his government’s top priority and termed completion of Chashma-III nuclear power plant another milestone achieved towards zero-loadshedding.

“The commitment to rid the nation of electricity loadshedding by 2018 will be fulfilled Inshallah, for which I am personally overseeing the power projects.”

The Chashma-III nuclear power plant is a joint collaboration with China, which is expected to add 340MW to the national grid.

Unveiling the plaque at a ceremony, the prime minister said, “Today we have crossed an important milestone in the journey to free the nation from scheduled power cuts. I am thankful to Allah and congratulate the entire nation.”

Prior to the inauguration, Plant Manager Riaz Khaliq Ansari told the prime minister that Chashma-I and Chashma-II projects were operational and produced 325MW and 340MW, respectively. The Chashma-IV nuclear power project would be complete by April 2017 and two more reactors would follow at an unspecified date in central Pakistan. Along with the 2,200MW Karachi nuclear power units, K-2 and K-3, the country’s total nuclear power output is expected to be 8,800MW by 2030.

At present, nuclear power contribution to the overall energy mix in the country remains negligible.

According to the Pakistan Electric Power Company’s statistics for 2015-16, hydel power accounts for 33.9 per cent of the total power produced in the country and is followed by Residual Furnace Oil at 29.9pc. Gas accounts for 28.8pc, nuclear sources 3.8pc, High Speed Diesel 1.4pc, wind 0.8pc, Bagas and RLNG contribute 0.5pc each, solar and small power producers add 0.2pc each, and coal 0.1pc.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2016