Policy priority: Govt focusing on energy crisis, terrorism, says Shahbaz

CM says 3,600 megawatts of electricity will be generated using gas

LAHORE:

The government is taking serious steps to overcome the energy crisis and deal with terrorism, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Thursday.

He was talking to parliamentarians who called on him.

“Work is continuing speedily on various energy projects. Planning has been completed for generating 3,600 megawatts of electricity based on gas. The provincial government will set up gas-based energy projects with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. The federal government will set up similar projects with a capacity of 2,400 megawatts,” he said.



The chief minister said that all resources were being utilised for overcoming the energy crisis. “Pakistan is passing through a critical phase of its history. The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government is coping with the challenges facing the country through joint efforts and collective wisdom,” he said.

The chief minister said that the steps being taken by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were yielding positive results. “Effective implementation of the National Action Plan Against Terrorism continues in the Punjab. Action is also being taken against facilitators of terrorism,” he said.

The chief minister said that punishments had been made stringent through necessary amendments in laws.

“The entire nation is determined to eliminate terrorism, extremism and sectarianism. The nation will make an example out of terrorists and extremists,” he said.

The CM said that a decisive war was being fought against terrorism. “The war against terrorism will be won at every cost. The entire nation stands by the army and law enforcement agencies,” he said.

He said that the time for taking decisive action against terrorism had come. The chief minister said that extraordinary steps were being taken in extraordinary times to protect the life and property of people. “These steps are yielding encouraging results. The war against terrorism is for the survival of our children. We are determined to restore peace in the country. There is no room for terrorism and extremism in the country,” he said. The CM said that the country would be made a truly Islamic welfare state.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2015.