LAHORE - Pakistan has been facing worst energy crisis that has seriously affected national economy, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Tuesday.
Loadshedding rendered hundreds of labourers jobless while the federal government did not take any concrete step to generate electricity in its four-and-a-half-year term, the chief minister said while addressing a dinner hosted in his honour by the UK Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in London.
UK Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Razi Khan, General Secretary Kamran Khan, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade Vice Chairman Dr Maftah Ismail, industrialists, investors and Overseas Adviser Javed Malik attended the function.
Shahbaz stressed the need for stepping up efforts to overcome this crisis to bring prosperity to the county. He mentioned his government’s endeavours to meet power needs, saying that the Punjab government was working on various projects to generate electricity.
Praising the role of expatriates in national development, Shahbaz said the Punjab government was extending all-out incentives and encouragement to foreign investors. He said his government had created a conducive atmosphere for investment.
He said development projects were being completed expeditiously with the help of Turkey, Iran and other foreign states.
He said expatriates in the UK could play a significant role in the national development through investment, collaboration and public-private partnership. He called upon the UK Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry to extend vigorous cooperation for various development projects in Pakistan.
The Chief Minister assured investors and industrialists of complete cooperation and all possible facilities in Punjab. He said though Pakistan has natural resources, negligence on the part of the federal government left its people in the lurch.
Shahbaz laid stress on concerned efforts to meet challenges confronting the country.
Razi Khan, speaking on the occasion, said steps taken by Punjab Chief Minister for public battement are praiseworthy. He said UK Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry would extend maximum cooperation in various development projects and its delegation will soon visit Punjab province.
Addressing the meeting, industrialists and investors assured chief minister of their fullest cooperation in various development projects. They said Shahbaz was working round the clock for the progress and prosperity of Punjab.