• PM breaks ground on Chashma Unit 5
• $3.48bn, 1,200MW unit to be built with Chinese help
• Shehbaz praises Xi, MBS, Al Nahyan for support in hour of need

MIANWALI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday performed the groundbreaking of 1,200MW Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5), which is expected to be completed in seven to eight years at a cost of $3.48 billion.

Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister said that keeping in mind the country’s requirements of clean and cheap energy sources, the project should be completed before the given schedule.

PM Shehbaz had on June 30 witnessed the signing of an MoU about the project between China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas Ltd and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.

Terming C-5 a huge milestone and a symbol of cooperation between the two countries, he said the project would help Pakistan promote clean, efficient and cheaper energy.

He said after a pause of many years, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was going again in full swing. He gave the credit of concluding the agreement of C-5 to the coalition government and the SPD for their hard efforts.

“Our detractors had been fabricating rumours all around that Pakistan was going to default on its sovereign commitments, but we crossed all turbulent waters in just 15 months,” the premier said, giving credit for the achievement to the government’s team effort.

He said the International Monetary Fund gave approval to the loan programme a couple of days ago and within 48 hours around $4.5 billion was transferred by brotherly countries Saudi Arabia and UAE, besides $1.2bn by the IMF.

About four months ago, he recalled, the Chinese government and commercial banks rolled over amounts back to Pakistan to the tune of $5bn.

He paid tribute to Chinese President XI Jinping, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for their support in Pakistan’s hour of need.

He said that as a result of serious efforts by the coalition government and himself, the Chinese company kept the project cost at the level which was agreed upon in 2017-18 by then PML-N government and did not include average inflation of around 10 per cent in the cost. Further, the PM said that on his request a discount of Rs30bn was also given to Pakistan which reflected a sense of sincerity between the two countries.

Charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy Pang Chunxue said C5 would help Pakistan build low-carbon, clean and cheap energy which would also produce jobs and engage local industries to contribute to the project.

Chairman of China National Nuclear Cooperation Yu Jianfeng said cooperation between the two countries in nuclear energy had become an integral part of the all-weather strategic partnership.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, and PAEC Chairman Dr Raja Ali Raza were also present on the occasion.

Vocational training

Shehbaz Sharif said the government was promoting the skilled-based vocational training to expand foreign remittances that would ultimately help improve the current account deficit.

He was speaking at a ceremony after laying the foundation stone of the central campus of National University of Technology in Islamabad. He pledged to make the vocational education number one priority of the government.

He said skilled human resource earned more than the raw labour, increasing the country’s foreign remittances.

He said vocational training was key to prosperity and development in today’s era as nations got prosperous only at the back of skilled-based people.

He expressed the hope that after completion, the campus would play a key role in promoting technical and industrial education in the country.

“Until there is discrimination between the rich and poor, especially in the education sector, the Quaid-i-Azam’s vision of educational right for all cannot be fulfilled,” he said.

PM Shehbaz said only one month had left for this government and he was still making efforts to provide maximum relief to people. He also distributed certificates among the high achieving youth in various fields.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2023