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Imran, Qadri tried to derail Pakistan, not govt: Nawaz
* PM says attempts by protesting parties to push country backward have failed * Urges all political parties to get united to overcome all issues, especially energy crisis
LONDON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that the protesting parties’ efforts were in fact not against the government, but to derail the country.
Nawaz Sharif said attempts by the protesting parties – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) – to put Pakistan’s development process at halt have failed. Talking to media persons after addressing the Energy Roundtable Conference here, the prime minister said a stable and developed Pakistan was in the interest of all political parties and next governments. He pointed that energy was a major challenge for the country and stressed cooperation of all political parties to help the government to meet it.
He expressed hope that the government would overcome the energy crisis and mentioned the unprecedented support from China in several power projects. He said Germany had also shown interest in investment in relevant sectors in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif said Pak-UK energy conference in London would be helpful in finding ways to resolve the shortage of electricity. He thanked the United Kingdom in organising the conference. Nawaz said Pakistan was blessed with infinite resources, and its population of 180 million people could bring a revolution of prosperity in the country.
Prime Minister Nawaz invited foreign investors into Pakistan’s lucrative energy sector, saying it holds great promise for an attractive rate of return on all investments. Addressing the energy conference, he hoped that deliberations will enable the government to make necessary corrections in its policy framework to align it with international best practices and create an enabling environment for investment. The conference, jointly organised by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the high commissions of both countries and Pakistan’s Board of Investment, aims to assist Pakistan in seeking expertise and investment to address its energy needs.
The policy makers and investors shared ideas and international best practices for formulating an optimal energy policy for Pakistan. The dialogue focused on three key areas: policymaking; best practice on privatisation; and trade and investment opportunities in support of Pakistan energy sector. The prime minister said the primary object of discussions and deliberations was to share ideas and international best practices between policy makers and investors, for formulating an optimal energy policy for Pakistan.
“We will not only discuss electricity generation and distribution but also explore how to promote public-private partnership in the energy sector.” Nawaz said his government would also like to know the incentives and policy framework that can spur private investment in oil and gas sectors of Pakistan. The prime minister said he remains committed to transforming the role of the government from a manager to a regulator. “We would like to explore how to build the public sector’s ‘capacity to regulate’ in a short time. The experts’ review of their experiences in privatisation and regulation will enable us to identify the ideal policy mix for a transparent and enabling process.”
Nawaz said in the past decades, revolution in technology and communications has transformed Pakistan’s traditional concepts of time and space. He said these days, changes in the price of North Sea oil had affected the stock markets in Pakistan with the same rapidity as the effects of an outbreak of a lethal virus. “In an integrated world, we need to find shared solutions for shared problems,” the prime minister said, adding that inclusive economic development requires substantial investment in an efficient public infrastructure.
He noted that energy and communication infrastructures form the backbone of industrial and social progress of any society, and it is mostly the private-sector-led investments that have resulted in sustainable economic progress. “We have much to gain by learning lessons and best practices from the developed economies,” he said. The prime minister noted that at the time of taking office, his government inherited a challenging macroeconomic situation. “We used our political capital to take tough decisions, which have resulted in significant improvement on all major economic indicators.” Prime Minister Nawaz said the government has reduced its budget deficit from over 8% in the fiscal year to less than 6% in the first year, and said the government was poised to end the current fiscal year at around 5% deficit.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk