PTI claims govt only added 1,670MW to the power grid

Refutes prime minister's claims, says had the PM looked at NEPRA's data he would not have made such assertions

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday refuted claims made by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi claiming they were ‘not verifiable’.

"Had the prime minister taken a look at NEPRA's Data collection, he would not have made such assertions," PTI information secretary Fawad Chaudhry said in a press release hours after the prime minister delivered his speech in Lahore.

During the inauguration of the first-ever CCV cable and Aluminium Alloy Plant at Sundur Industrial Area in Lahore Abbsi had said that the PML-N government added 10,000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid and started projects which will meet future energy requirements of the country.

Reacting to the speech, Fawad further said that despite the payment of Rs100,000 billion, debt circulation had only touched Rs1,000 billion. “This speaks volumes about the performance of the government," he said.

He further added that in their five-year tenure, “Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government has installed plants that generate 5,575 Mega Watts of electricity."

Chaudhry argued that these plants are also not generating electricity up to their full potential. “Technically, the PML-N government added only 1,670 Mega Watts to the grid.”

He pointed out that the projects that have been inaugurated have only caused a further shortage in generation. Pakistan's energy production is the lowest in the whole of South Asia.

If coal powered, environmentally damaging sources of energy production are set aside, there is an even greater shortage of electricity, he asserted.

"It is safe to say that in the past five years, PML-N has taken no serious measures to resolve energy shortages. The system of energy distribution is senile and lacks innovation," he said.

Chaudhry contended that even if PML-N had been able to generate the required power as per national demand, distribution would still have been an insurmountable challenge.

The PTI representative remarked that rubbishing facts does not cover up under-performance and poor governance.