ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Tuesday said that the Punjab government was provoking people on the issue of power loadsheding to get political mileage.

Speaking to media representatives after inaugurating an election office of the Civil Aviation Employees Union at Benazir International Airport, the minister said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was using the government machinery for provoking the people on the issue of power shortages which was against democratic norms.

Kaira said all three provinces had implemented the recommendations of the energy conference except Punjab which refused two-day holidays and closure of markets at 8 pm to save energy.

He said the energy projects launched by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government in 1990s were scrapped by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and forced foreign investors to wind up their business.

The minister said the PML-N and Musharraf governments were responsible for the present energy crisis as they did not initiate any mega project to meet the future demand of the country.

Earlier, speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the minister said that the PPP government had taken practical steps for the welfare of workers.

He said the government had regularised the services of all contractual employees, irrespective of their political affiliation and reinstated sacked employees which reflected its commitment to welfare of the working class.