LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the coal-powered projects in Sahiwal and Port Qasim will be completed by the end of next year, and will produce 2,640 megawatts electricity.
The CM said this while addressing a ceremony arranged by Chinese company Hauneng Shandong Ruyi, at the University of Engineering & Technology. He also distributed certificates among the engineers completing their course and congratulated them.
Shahbaz said Pak-China friendship has stood the test of time but why the volume of trade between China and Pakistan reached only seven billion dollars while its trade volume with India is as much as $80 billion.
“China has set up coal-based electricity projects of thousands of megawatts in a country with which Pakistan fought three wars, whereas this process is only beginning in Pakistan,” CM Shahbaz stated, adding that China always wanted to help Pakistan but no attention was paid by former governments, other than PML-N.
“It has always been a desire of Chinese to steer Pakistan out of problems but, unfortunately, the Pakistani leadership had been looking towards the West for help,” he added. That is why, he said, those countries which were lagging behind Pakistan are now much ahead of it.
Shahbaz said that it is high time to learn from mistakes and move forward with a new spirit and determination. “This CPEC has provided us a strong basis for this purpose,” he said, adding that the speed of implementation of these agreements is unprecedented.
“Now every Pakistani can be proud of this achievement of Pakistan Muslim League-N as a miracle is about to happen in the country,” the hopeful CM said.
Federal Minister for Planning & Development Ahsan Iqbal, who was also present on the occasion, said that Pak-China friendship was deep-rooted but no serious effort was made in the past for turning it into strong economic partnership. He said that China has become the biggest direct investor with an investment of $46 billion in Pakistan.
