PM-in-waiting: Nawaz fine-tunes first address

After taking oath, PML-N supremo to talk about energy crisis, job creation.

LAHORE:

Prime minister-in-waiting Nawaz Sharif has started preparing for the customary first address to the nation which will follow after he takes oath as the prime minister of Pakistan. Nawaz has presided over five meetings in this regard on Tuesday , discussing issues related to various ministries and development projects.

Participants of the meetings told The Express Tribune that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief was briefed on the key points of his first speech, which will touch on the energy crisis, creation of jobs, housing schemes for the poor, extension of the Metro Bus system in Lahore, a bullet train, a Metro Bus scheme in Karachi and the idea of launching tram and small train services in all the provincial capitals.

Local and foreign experts, bureaucrats and PML-N’s senior leadership have briefed Sharif on these issues, and their input is expected to be incorporated into his speech.



Energy crisis

The first of the five meetings Sharif chaired was on the acute energy crisis gripping the country.

The PML-N leader was briefed on the strategies of how Turkey and China overcame their energy crises, and was asked to adopt similar models to overcome the problem. The participants also discussed the options on the table if the Sindh government got in the way of using Thar coal reservoirs to bridge the gap between demand and supply. The consensus was that the PML-N would then focus more on energy reservoirs located in Balochistan.

Creation of jobs

Nawaz Sharif was also advised to announce new jobs, particularly for the youth, in his inaugural speech. According to the details, the youth will be mobilised and jobs will be created for them through small and medium businesses.

Housing schemes

The announcement of housing schemes for the poor was also discussed in the meeting. Sharif will announce the provision of shelter and housing schemes of 816 square feet and 1,360 square feet for the poor.

Bullet train and  Metro Bus

The possibility of building a bullet train from Karachi to Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa and a Karachi Metro Bus system was also discussed. However Sharif was advised to take the input of its party and allies from Sindh on the Karachi Metro Bus service. PML-N’s Syed Ghous Ali Shah told Sharif he should announce the project after getting everyone’s input.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2013.