BISHAM: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Saturday urged the opposition parties to shun politics of differences and come forward for holding of free, fair and transparent elections in the country.

Election is the only process to reach the power corridors, the prime minister said while addressing a function after inaugurating 72 MW Khankhwar hydro power project in the mountainous Bisham district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Khankhwar project has been completed at a cost of Rs 11 billion with the cooperation of China and Rs five billion financial assistance of the Islamic Development Bank.

Ashraf said that he did not have differences with any opposition party and all should make collective efforts for holding free and fair elections.

He said that a consensus Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) had been appointed because “we do not want any hanky panky in the polling process.”

He said that he had never made any effort to manipulate the elections rather “we are victim of conspiracies.”

The prime minister said that the present government would complete its designated tenure. Some people had been giving time and date for the departure of the government but all such speculations fizzled out with the passage of time, he added.

He said that no effort should be made to destabilize the government and added that collective efforts were needed to steer the country out of the present crisis.

The prime minister said that he was sincere in establishing cordial relations with the opposition parties.

The prime minister regretted that the dictators had ruled the country for more than 10 years in one go but no one stopped them from their unconstitutional actions, but an elected government was unnecessarily being targeted.

He said that all the hydro power projects, including Nelum Jehlum, Dober, Kohala and Dasu, would be taken up for overcoming the energy crisis. The future of the country lies in increasing hydro power generation, he said, adding that work on the Thar Coal project had already been initiated.

The prime minister, referring to the energy crisis, said that demand for power was increasing whereas the previous regimes did not add a single MW to the national grid.

He said whenever the PPP came to power it had to face tremendous challenges, but it faced them with courage and determination.

Ashraf said that he was proud for belonging to middle class. He was also proud of his coalition partners, who elected him with a two-third majority, he added.

“I am ready to serve those people, who want to serve the country in true sense,” the prime minister said.