ISLAMABAD, Dec 20 (APP): Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar Monday said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government would keep reminding PML-N of mistakes it committed, during their last tenure in power 2013-18, that ruined the energy sector with “expensive agreements and installation of unnecessary power houses.”
Reacting on a news conference of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, the minister in a video statement said the rent of expensive power houses, installed by the past government, increased by Rs 100-300 billion annually, and ultimately consumers had to bear its burden.
Unless the PML-N leadership would keep telling a lie and hoodwinking the public, Hammad Azhar said “their Taleem-e-Balighan (Education for Adult) will continue as it is the matter of the country’s energy security… and we will continue reminding them of their past mistakes.”
The minister said the PTI government took corrective measures to streamline the matters related to energy sector, adding it renegotiated agreements with power houses, reduced rates, closed some of the power plants and signed a historic deal for import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Qatar at the lowest rate.
“But the negative impact of PML-N’s wrong policies, expensive agreements and unnecessary power houses still exists, and as a result the consumer suffers,” he deplored. He said consumers were bearing the brunt of the PML-N’s wrong policies as the government had to increase power tariff sometimes in compulsion caused by ever-increasing power houses’ annual rent and expensive power generation agreements signed by the past regime Explaining the wrongdoings of the PML-N government,
Hammad Azhar said the rent of power houses was Rs 180 billion in 2013 which had now increased to Rs 800 billion and would mount to Rs 2500 billion in next few years. The government was bound to pay the rent throughout a year, whether the power plants operated or not. He questioned why the circular debt had increased from Rs 0 to Rs 1200 billion during PML-N’s tenure, if there were good energy sector agreements and management.
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