 | Punjab CM sets up camp office at Minar-e-Pakistan
02 June 2012
|
| 
LAHORE– Adopting a unique method to record protest and expressing solidarity with the people of Punjab over the chronic power cuts, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has set up his camp office at Minare Pakistan in Iqbal Park where he and other ministers of his cabinet and the officials discharged business on Friday.
The chief minister has initially announced to hold protest camp for 10 days while the period may be extended subject to acceptance of the demand to treat people of the Punjab at par with other provinces regarding load management, the sources say.
They say the Punjab government has a pipeline plan to ban use of air conditioners at public departments where its use already stands curtailed by three hours daily. However, strict observance of this restriction is a big question. Shahbaz also held a sitting at the camps along with his secretariat staff wearing black band on their arms as a mark of protest against what he mostly says, Federal government’s step-motherly treatment to Punjab by providing lesser amount of electricity to the province as compared to other provinces due to which industry and the domestic life has been badly hit.
The present protest camp has been set up with tents and a covering, totally in marked contrast to the other lavish and grand offices particularly at Chief Minister’s Secretariat, 90-Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Punjab Secretariat, and at Punjab Assembly.
The Punjab government is aggrieved that due to short supply of electricity and a discriminatory treatment, the province has suffered an economic loss up to Rs400billion and cancellation of textile and other import orders to the tune of $one billion. Besides writing to the Federal government to address the situation, Punjab also hosted an energy conference in Lahore in April last which was presided over by Prime Minister Gilani. It was decided at the conference that loadshedding hours will equally be distributed among all the four provinces.
But the commitment could not be fulfilled partly due to political reasons after guilty verdict against the prime minister by the SC and partly of the fact that circular debts were not discharged nor the IPPs were paid to generate adequate electricity. The situation in Punjab at present is alarming with domestic side facing power cuts upto 20 hours and industrial sector closing down business at a large scale rendering lakhs of people jobless forcing them to agitate on streets and roads. The CM has set up this camp to remind the rulers of their duties and a grim situation faced by the public and the province.
Talking to the media at the Park, Shahbaz depicted a painful picture of the economy and people owing to loadshedding.
“Due to the present situation, masses are struggling to survive and earn their livelihood. Ali Baba and 40 thieves have completely destroyed the national economy,” he said alluding to the Federal government. He said they were sitting under Minar-e-Pakistan to highlight miseries of the people, who could not sleep at night for they didn’t have electricity and no water even to take bath. Shahbaz said on Friday people could not perform ablution to say prayers because there was no water available due to the ongoing energy crisis.
He said he could suggest a solution to overcome power crisis. “Meet Rs 400 billion circular debt by bringing back the plundered money deposited in Swiss courts,” he said adding, govt should recover the money swindled in NRO cases, the NICL land scam, the rental power cases, the Hajj scam and end the lavish spending in to overcome the power crisis.
The CM said Punjab was being denied 700MW share of electricity, which should immediately be provided. The chief minister at the camp office also held a meeting with the high-ups of the Wasa who informed the CM about the generators taken on rent for three hours per day to supply water to the citizens.
However, they said, the loadshedding hours were too long to operate the generators. The CM directed the officials to get the generators on rent for the whole day so that the citizens could get continuous water supply. | | See Also in Political News
|
|  Chaudhry Nisar bursts out over Balochistan issue
18 June 2013
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Monday burst out over the Balochistan issue, expressing shock at the failure of the entire security apparatus along with all security agencies in curbing terrorism in the restive province.
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) Chief, Mahmood Khan Achakzai asked: “Why is it that our security agencies are capable enough to find a needle in a haystack but the law and order situation continues to remain dires straits (in Balochistan)”.
... Full Story |  Pakistan cricket team players return home
18 June 2013
LAHORE: Pakistani cricket team players arrived in Lahore after humiliating defeat in all three matches of Champions Trophy, Geo News reported.
Speaking to media, Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore said making changes in the team is responsibility of selection committee.
The coach was disappointed over the performance of team.
The players who arrived Lahore on Monday night included Saeed Ajmal, Kamran Akmal, Nasir Jamshed, Muhammad Irfan and Ahsan Adil.Full Story |  PPP follows policy of reconciliation: Qaim
18 June 2013
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that talks with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were underway, Geo News reported.
Speaking to media at a reception hosted by Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in honour of provincial assembly members on Monday night, Qaim Ali Shah said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was following policy of reconciliation.
He said reports of PPP, MQM talks had been published in the newspapers, however, he did not have further information.
... Full Story | Explosion in Kabul near Afghan national parliament: police
18 June 2013
KABUL: An explosion on Tuesday morning rocked an area in the west of the Afghan capital, Kabul, close to the country's national parliament, police said.
The explosion occurred ... Full Story | Russia under pressure as Syria set to dominate G8
18 June 2013
LOUGH ERNE, United Kingdom: The conflict in Syria was set to dominate a G8 summit starting in Northern Ireland on Monday, with Russia facing pressure to back away from its support ... Full Story | Malala denounces 'cowardly' attack on students
18 June 2013
LONDON: Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban for promoting girls' education, on Monday denounced an attack on a bus carrying female students in Quetta as ... Full Story | OGRA scandal: NAB grills Qamar, issues final notice to Badar’s son
18 June 2013
LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summoned former federal minister Syed Naveed Qamar for interrogation, and issued a final notice to Ali Badar, son of Pakistan ... Full Story | Ziarat attack: BNP-M, JUI-F hit out at Akram Shah’s statement
18 June 2013
ISLAMABAD: Condemning the destruction of Jinnah’s Residency in Ziarat, the Balochistan National Party – Mengal (BNP-M) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) criticised a key ... Full Story |
| |
|
|
|
|
