News
Monday, February 27, 2012
PTI claims to end energy crisis in five years if elected
* Promises reforms in police system, links Balochistan issue with energy crisis
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday said that “business as usual” was not the solution to the current energy crisis, claiming that his party would end the energy crisis within five years if voted to power.
The PTI, organising a policy seminar on ‘Energy, from Crisis to Solutions’, spelled out its vision to address the most crippling issue by brining the massive reforms in the government sector as well as focus on the efficient methods of energy generation and conservation.
Energy Policy Vision identifies poor governance as the main reason for the current energy crisis, the PTI said, adding that there has been a lack of long-term planning and implementation over the last four decades with increasing reliance on quick but expensive fixes such as imported thermal and rental power plants.
Imran said that the energy crisis had made the country a defaulter as more and more industries were closing daily. The entire nation will have to be united to change the fate of the country, he said.
The PTI will present a comprehensive solution to the energy crisis, the PTI chief said. He also promised reforms in the police system.
He stressed the need for changing the whole system of governance in the country by ending political interference in the state institutions.
He suggested that size of the federal cabinet should be minimised and only a cabinet comprised of honest ministers could address the problems the country was facing today.
Imran vowed to give Pakistan the governance, which no other government had delivered in the past. With an 80-member cabinet, how could a prime minister retain any authority, he asked, adding that expatriates were the assets of Pakistan and would give any sacrifice for the country.
Imran noted that whatever solutions to end crisis had been conceived by the PTI were not easy options, however, these were doable and the PTI would implement them in letter and spirit to steer the country out of this crisis.
“The elimination of terrorism and bringing good governance are short-term targets. However the energy crisis solution is a long term goal,” Imran added.
PTI central leader Jahangir Khan Tareen gave a comprehensive presentation on the status of energy situation in the country and future challenges, saying the PTI had short and medium-term objectives to end the crisis.
Giving the policy vision of the PTI government, Tareen said that the party would delegate decision-making authority from politicians to professionals in the energy sector as well as create an enabling environment to attract “best of the best” manpower from Pakistan and all over the world.
It would create a transparent, consistent, comprehensive and innovate policy environment backed by decisive leadership in order to attract the required level of capital flows.
The PTI will empower and incentivise the public sector to ensure timely, rigorous implementation of PTI’s energy policy vision.
He said it would also install a culture of monitoring and accountability throughout the energy sector. Tareen, speaking on the short-term goals, pointed out that reforms to be introduced by the PTI would turn around the state of near collapse this sector and minimise impact of power and gas shortages in the country, besides reducing burden of the ever-increasing tariffs on poor.
On the medium-term side, the PTI vision policy will resolve the circular debt crisis and unlock capital flows and plug gas deficit by increasing supply of 3,500MMCFD.
Linking the Balochistan issue with the energy crisis, Tareen pointed out that solution to the problems of the province was not required only on political and moral grounds, but it was also necessary to ensure energy security to the country.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk