China Visit Highly Successful, Says Pervez Rashid
By Salahuddin Haider
Karachi, Pakistan
Information Minister Pervez Rashid treats the successful China visit as a feather in Nawaz Sharif’s cap and expects the country to benefit hugely from its outcome.
My first meeting with him in PIO’s office in Islamabad last week left a lasting impression about the person. His simplicity and modesty impress you in a minute, but at the same time his grip on the subject or topic he dwells on is convincing. I just run into him after waiting for an appointment in vain for almost a week. Having been to the office of Imran Gardezi at the given time of 1230, I came to know that the minister was there on the building’s Fourth Floor, fielding questions from quite a number of newsmen.
His answers were crisp and satisfying but when he tried to be evasive, his inimitable smile playing on his face, was enough to disarm the questioner.
Yes, sir, he looked very ordinary, no lavish clothes, no show offs, just a simple shalwar kameez and a strap sandal with socks on. For a moment I thought I am meeting someone from a different world for most ministers and parliamentarians like costly attires and luxurious limousines. But probably he had a different family background; he held a firm grip on the conversation and replied to my questions with great humility.
Personally, I left the room after 20 minutes of one-on-one meeting with him in the PIO office, thinking that if generally ministers and parliamentarians shed expensive attires and be role model for others, like Pervez Rashid was, things would change immensely in our Pakistan facing economic crisis of a magnitude which may take time to recover.
It is good luck for the prime minister to have him as his official spokesman as well as for his government, which is barely six weeks old. The interview itself was simple, and answers were simpler than the questions. He thought that China’s readiness to invest in mega projects like road and transport infrastructure, and also help overcome the energy crisis, was in itself a proof of the huge success of the premier’s visit to Beijing and other places. Load shedding was yet another menace but short, medium and long term plans have been readied to overcome a problem which had been lingering for long, and has assumed horrendous proportions over the years.
The Nandipur power plant, rotting since decades, had been moved to plant site, and may become operational in 15 to 16 months to add to the system’s generating capacity. It would considerably cut down the discomfort citizenry had been facing for quite sometime. Coal, solar energy and similar other plans will be part of medium to long term planning to finally get ourselves rid the problem. Circular debt had been paid by almost 50 percent to independent power plants (IPPs), which would help them regenerate electricity, and lessen the burden on the common man. The remaining balance of Rs 500 million will be cleared by August. This would mean additional 1760 MW of power to the national grid. He disclosed that in future only those private parties will be permitted to set up plants which will be coal-based.
Conceding that the law and order situation has been a handicap in attracting investment, he said the government is taking measures, despite heavy odds, to restore peaceful conditions in the country. The prime minister has been having a series of meetings (which later saw him being briefed at the ISI headquarters and in the interior ministry). A cohesive approach in which all those responsible for maintaining peace and protecting the life and property of the people, will be tied in a knot to build a healthy coordinated system of civil and military intelligence sharing, in which provinces too will be taken on board. A national consensus is being sought to solve the problem which has been affecting our economic recovery. In this context ,he referred to the premier’s visit to Quetta before his China Yatra where apart from meetings with administration and intelligence agencies, he also exchanged notes with a representative delegation of Hazara community which has been the target of terrorism in Balochistan. The prime minister also asked for the recovery of missing persons and abandoning the policy of kidnapping militants.
Justice should be the order of the day, he thought. The Information Minister said that the Chinese offer to invest at a large scale in Pakistan will send signals to other countries that have an eye on the Pakistan market and are potential investors. They too will be encouraged once they find the situation conducive to their plans.
