LAHORE: Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has termed the State Bank of Pakistan’s report and Nepra’s state of industry report a ‘powerful endorsement’ of PML-N’s stance and ‘irrefutable proof’ of the PTI government’s lies about the working of the previous government.
He has also urged the National Accountability Bureau to ‘learn’ from these reports and trace the ‘real’ culprits causing losses to the national exchequer.
In a statement, he said the purchase of expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) causing a loss of $500 million (Rs83 billion) to the exchequer in just three months was evidence of the Imran government’s ‘crimes’. “This government bought LNG 30 per cent expensive from the market and added more [financial] burden on the [shoulders of] the nation.”
Says nation burdened with expensive LNG
The NAB is sadly blind to all this and is busy digging up contracts and agreements done half a decade ago, lamented Shehbaz, who is also president of the PML-N.
“This Nepra report has proven that everything the PML-N told the nation was true to the last detail.”
Instead of operating economical power plants, the nation was robbed by the incumbent rulers by generating expensive electricity which multiplied problems due to low production capacity and expensive power plants, he said.
Running these expensive power plants increased the financial burden and debt on the country, causing further loss to the people and the country, he added.
The opposition leader said the State Bank’s second quarterly report showed that LNG has reduced the cost of electricity. “By the grace of Allah Almighty, even a government obsessed with political vengeance could not conceal PML-N’s honest, diligent and transparent services for the nation.”
The PML-N had, during its tenure 2014-18, commissioned three LNG-based power generating plants, each with a capacity of 1,200MW.
Shehbaz said the savings of Rs234bn between 2017 and 2020 was a testament to PML-N’s ‘sincere’ public service that saved the nation money and provided much-needed relief.
He said the first quarterly report of SBP for 2018 and 2019 confirmed that the reduction in current account deficit was due to PML-N’s initiatives.
Prices of petroleum products accounted for one-third of the 22.7pc drop in imports through the PML-N’s hard work under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, he said.
Decreased import of furnace oil and use of domestic coal reduced coal imports too was a victory for Nawaz Sharif’s vision, he added.
The PML-N president said that with the cooperation of China the operation of a 660MW coal-fired power plant in Thar increased power generation by 45pc in 2019.
Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2021