ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Wednesday deplored the failure of federal and provincial governments to ease the ongoing energy crisis which he said was resulting in massive layoffs, decreased incomes and closure of private businesses.

In a statement issued by his party’s media centre, Mr Khan held the PPP and PML-N governments responsible for massive economic crunch and making the country hostage to the policies of foreign powers.

The PTI chief said the energy shortage was annually eating away Rs600 billion of the GDP, declining exports, forcing closure and shifting abroad of small and big industrial units, devaluing rupee, and depleting foreign exchange reserves.

He stated that weekly gas closure had already put jobs of over 15 million people and exports of around $14bn at stake. “Despite the fact that thousands of industrial units have either been closed or shifted to Bangladesh, Dubai, Malaysia and other countries, neither the federal government nor the Punjab government had bothered to boost electricity generation,” said the PTI chairman.

Mr Khan said 2013 would be the year of accountability as people would hold federal and Punjab governments responsible for ignoring their miseries and making mockery of energy crises.