Law ministry delayed Punjab power projects for bribe: Shahbaz Sharif

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has demanded strict action should be taken against those involved in increasing the crises of power, and pushing Punjab into darkness due to negligence and corruption in 900MW power projects in the province.
“Criminal negligence has been demonstrated in the power projects of 450MW each in Nandipur and Chicho Ki Malian, which is a deep conspiracy against Punjab and Pakistan. Due to delay in these projects, most areas of Punjab remained in darkness and industries were closed and now the nation has to bear additional expenses of Rs 20 billion on these projects,” he said, while requesting the prime minister to take those persons to task causing delay in these projects and deterrent punishment should be awarded to the criminals of the nation and should be hanged.
He was talking to mediamen here on Saturday on his return to Lahore from the Council of Common Interests meeting held in Islamabad the same day. Senior Advisor to him Sirdar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa was also present on the occasion.
Shahbaz Sharif warned that if action was not taken against these criminals of the nation, then he would be forced to raise voice at any forum against them.
While giving details about the projects, he said the power project of 450MW in Nandipur had to be completed a year ago and the machinery of this project worth billions of rupees was lying in the godowns of Karachi on which heavy demurrage was being paid. He mentioned that this project was being executed by Chinese company and it should have become operational in the beginning of this year but unfortunately it could not be made operational. “The file of this project remained pending in the law ministry for the last about two years and the desired letter could not be issued by the finance ministry due to bribe. The same situation is of the 450MW project of Chicho Ki Malian. This project had to be completed next year but this project has also been delayed for further two years due to criminal negligence. These projects remained pending due to the hurdles created by law ministry, and had these projects been completed within stipulated time, the Punjab would have got substantial relief from load-shedding,” he observed, adding that Punjab was made a target through delaying these projects due to which factories were closed and irreparable loss was caused to exports. “Not only huge loss was caused to the industrial and agriculture sectors due to the delay in these projects but lakhs of people were also deprived of their livelihood. Whom people of Punjab should hold accountable for this economic murder?” he questioned.
Shahbaz Sharif was of the considered opinion that investors and industrialists were transferring their capital and the country was being pushed into darkness under a conspiracy, which was a heinous crime. “The nation is in need of every watt of electricity whereas plundering and corruption is rampant in the country. A conspiracy has been hatched against agriculture, industry, 180million people of Pakistan, and 100m people of Punjab by delaying power projects of Nandipur and Chicho Ki Malian,” he said, while mentioning that he had always talked to the prime minister about these projects, and on Saturday succeeded in getting the approval of these projects in the CCI meeting. “Now the country will have to bear the additional expenses of billions of rupees due to delay in these projects and it is impossible to pay the cost of negative impacts caused to the economy of the country. Who should be held responsible for these losses of billions of rupees, and the criminal negligence?” he quizzed.
He demanded strict action against those who caused this loss to the nation and the country as such persons were criminals of the nation and those should be hanged trying to ruin the country. “If action was not taken against these criminals of the nation, we will raise voice at every forum and expose them and recover the looted money of the nation from them,” he reiterated.
During the press conference, Shahbaz Sharif did not reply a question about Shahbaz Taseer’s abduction, and said, he would talk about the subject at some other time. However, as per sources, he held a meeting with senior cops at the lounge of the Old Airport who were waiting for him prior to his arrival.

PPP to launch drive, requisite PA session against Taseer’s abduction

Punjab chapter of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party has warned the provincial government of launching a protest movement from the coming Monday if the dispensation failed in recovering Shahbaz Taseer, son of assassinated ex-Governor Punjab Salman Taseer.
This was told to the mediamen on Saturday at a press conference by President PPP Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, who also mentioned that Opposition Leader at the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmed would submit a requisition for convening Punjab Assembly session to discuss the issue after Monday. “All constitutional options will be adopted,” he asserted.
Warraich further added that a protest movement would be launched against the Punjab government from Monday if Shahbaz Taseer was not recovered. “Protest rallies will be organised at district level to press for the recovery of the abducted,” he stated, while condemning the incident, and asserting that the incident had disturbed all citizens of the province. “This has amply substantiated the poor situation of ever-increasing crime, and law and order in Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif must improve the law and order situation in his “own province” and then talk about other provinces,” he suggested, in an implicit reference to the CM’s Punjab recent visit to chaotic Karachi. “Lahore is Punjab’s capital and has headquarters of the Punjab Police, but no progress has been made in young Taseer’s case so far,” he mentioned.
To depict what he believed poor law and order situation, Warraich quoted crime figures in the Punjab, and mentioned that last year, 75,419 crime cases were registered, and 627 of these were murder cases. “As many as 170 rape and 160 cases of torture against government servants have been registered last year. So far almost 13,497 cases of kidnap were registered, while 2,176 were in Lahore alone. 8,974 cases of kidnap for ransom have been registered so far during the current year,” he noted, while asserting that the crime ratio in Punjab had increased by 30 per cent. “The PML-N leadership cannot make tall claims of good governance in the province when these figures are taken into consideration,” he maintained.
While responding to a question about the suo motu on Taseer’s abduction, Warraich did not offer any comment, except “Courts are independent to take notice.”
While bitterly criticising the provincial dispensation in failing to control law and order situation, especially abduction of his predecessor’s son Shahbaz Taseer, Governor Punjab Sardar Latif Khan Khosa has condemned the Friday’s incident, and termed it unbearable.
“This amply proves failure of the Punjab government in controlling law and order situation in the province,” he remarked, while talking to the mediamen outside the house of former Governor Punjab Salman Taseer, where the incumbent had gone to meet the family members of Shahbaz Taseer. He assured the family that both federal and provincial governments would leave no stone unturned for recovering young Taseer.
Khosa said that all federal law enforcement agencies and the Punjab police were jointly making efforts to recover abducted Taseer. He also told the mediamen that the Inspector General Police and Home Secretary Punjab had briefed him since they were called by the Governor to tell him about the investigation. While mentioning that he had been a criminal lawyer with a vast experience of the subject, Khosa said he had given guideline to the IGP and the Secretary, and the officers had been directed to expand the purview of the probe.
He also mentioned that Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan had also telephoned him, and as per Article 131 of the constitution, the Minister briefed the Governor about the administrative matters.
To a question about the investigation, Khosa replied that the law enforcement agencies had gathered some evidence, and hoped that soon the agencies would recover Taseer safe and sound.
Khosa remarked that unfortunately the incidents of kidnapping were increasing every day, and the Punjab government would have to seriously think about making the law and order situation better since it was the duty of the provincial dispensation to do so. “The Centre will provide all assistance for this,” he said, adding that the most important issue at the moment was to secure release of alive Taseer. “The rest are provincial matters, and reservations, which will be transmitted to the federal government later on,” he said.

Nawaz disinterested in making Shaheed out of PPP

President Pakistan Muslim League-N has said long march cannot be carried out on every issue, and the present government has utterly failed to deliver, but the N-League will not make a martyr out of the PPP once more.
"The bad governance of the PPP government has destroyed the image of democracy, and if the situation called for a long march, I will not resist doing so,” he vowed, while addressing a function to mark international youth day.
Nawaz asserted that his party was playing a very effective role in the parliament and given another chance, it would put the country on the right track. Continuing his charge on the PPP-led government, the PML-N chief said it had put the country's sovereignty at stake, and he knew well that the people wanted to get rid of this corrupt government, but he did not want to make a ‘Shaheed’ out of the PPP one more time and let it bag sympathy vote as it had done always.
Referring to the celebrated Long March for the restoration of the judiciary, he averred that long marches could not be carried out for every issue. Nawaz Sharif claimed that in 1999, before his government was toppled by Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's currency was the strongest among the SAARC countries. “There was no crisis and the country was on the march to development,” he added, while lamenting that the dictator overthrew the elected government that damaged the development process.
PML-N president said every Pakistani was worried about the country's future due to wrong policies of the government, and the PML-N had given the present government a 10-point agenda and if that had been implemented, the country would have been out of the crises. “The younger generation must play its due role for the development of the country. In fact, it is the duty of the youth to lead the country. I will make the future of the country bright with the help of youth,” he pledged.
On the rise in terrorism and militancy, the PML-N chief said if the country would have been progressing under democracy, then this would not have been the scenario. Former premier also said his partnership with youth was need of the hour for resolution of problems, and he was not disappointed with the future of Pakistan. “I faced torture of imprisonment and exile. Even I was not allowed to attend the funeral of my father, but I adhered to the principled politics. Despite this, if I have to do the politics of selfishness, greed and vested interests, then it is better to quit politics,” he maintained, while expressing his confidence that time would come when, like other sectors of the life, the discrimination of class-based education system would be eliminated and equal opportunities of progress would be available to everyone.
Mentioning the economic policies and other development projects of his tenure, Nawaz Sharif said at that time, India was following Pakistan’s policy for the restoration of economy. “Had our two governments given opportunity to complete tenures and not toppled, Pakistan would have become an economic tiger today. Load-shedding, unemployment, price hike, terrorism and extremism are gifts of dictatorship which is not answerable to anyone. But the government came into power through elections also did not deliver. Bad governance is spoiling the image of democracy,” he maintained, while adding that today some people were declaring Pakistan a failed and isolated state, sovereignty of Pakistan was being mutilated, decisions and orders of the Supreme Court were not being obeyed. “Long march for restoration of judiciary was not politics, but it was for the rule of law in the country. Zardari and Gillani were not ready to restore the judiciary, but it was due to the pressure of the people that judiciary was restored. If we had continued long march after restoration of judiciary, then it was a politics,” he maintained.
Nawaz Sharif asserted that his party did not let the government of becoming ‘Shaheed’ but gave full opportunity so that it should be completely exposed. He said the PML-N was playing its due role in the assembly against the corruption and other anti-people policies of present government. “If need be, we will not hesitate to take any political step,” he added, while saying that if the youth were not satisfied with the present politics, then they should come forward and play their role. “The youth of 18 years has the right of vote and track record of all the parties is known to them. Their right decision can change the destiny of the country and the nation,” he said.
He also mentioned, “Today over 70 per cent of Pakistanis are under age 35. Pakistani youth represents a youth boom that has the potential to transform Pakistani nation into a developed & a progressive nation of the world. Young Pakistani people are gifted with open minds and keen awareness of emerging trends; they are bringing their energy, ideas and courage to some of the most complex and important challenges facing the Pakistan. Pakistani youth have strong will power and patience, they often understand better than older generations that we can transcend our religion, politics, and cultural differences in order to reach our shared goals. They are standing up for the rights of oppressed peoples, including those who suffer discrimination based on gender and race. They are confronting complex challenges and they are often the leading proponents of sustainability and green lifestyle.”
He also said the PMLN was committed to working together with youth to expand horizons of opportunity for our young women and men, and answer their legitimate demand for dignity, development and decent work. “If we failed to invest in our youth, then we will fail to realise our true potential. Investing in our young people is the only guarantee for a prosperous future,” he said, while urging the youth to commit themselves for excellence in education and rise above divisions of ethnicity, language, and religion to create a peaceful, united, and developed Pakistan based on the vision of Quaid e Azam.
He lauded the efforts of the Chief Minister Punjab with regard to setting up Daanish Schools and other reforms in education sector and added that the budget allocated during his tenure was unprecedented. He said beside Daanish Schools, attention should also be paid to the standard of other educational institutions.
Nawaz Sharif said he would ask Shahbaz Sharif to also pay attention to the educational problems of blind and other special children.