Pakistan's problems could have been avoided with better policies in past: Nawaz

Energy crisis started during Musharraf's rule, Nawaz says.

LAHORE: Problems we are facing today are a result of bad policies that were made in the past, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif .

"The energy crisis started during [former president Pervez] Musharraf's rule," Nawaz stated, adding that former president Asif Ali Zardari's government should have worked to solve that problem.

Speaking at the 37th Export Awards ceremony in Lahore, Nawaz said that if better policies had been made in the past, we would not be suffering from problems like terrorism and sectarian killings.

"I have given Federal Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan the target of doubling exports," the premier said.

"I know exports cannot be doubled within a year. Dastagir knows this and even you know that this is not possible, but whats the harm in saying it?” he joked, eliciting laughter and applause from the audience.

Nawaz added that if exports do not double, then they should increase by at least 50 percent.