PM Imran Khan terms opposition alliance’s recent attempts to woo Chaudhry Shujaat a sign of their fears
ISLAMABAD, Feb 14 (SABAH): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday has expressed his confidence in Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi and other members of Chaudhry family. Prime Minister termed the opposition alliance’s recent attempts to woo Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain a sign of their fears. PM Imran Khan said that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain is the only politician in the country who has such skills in politics which are not enjoyed by anyone else.
PM Imran Khan was addressing an international symposium regarding hydropower development in Islamabad.
Replying to Moonis Elahi’s comment in which he said that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) will respect its alliance with government, therefore, Pakistan Tehreeke-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders should not worry”, the PM said that he himself has trained PTI members for 25 years and they have become battled hardened. PM Imran appeared unfazed by the opposition’s activities.
“Those who are worried have now thought of Chaudhry sahib’s health. I believe he is a politician who has skills that perhaps no one else does but to suddenly remember his health these are the people who are worried. “We have full faith in you (Moonis Elahi) and your family,” he added.
At the start of his speech, the Prime Minister Imran Khan lamented the “huge loss” that Pakistan has suffered because of successive governments’ negligence in building dams. “Since the 1960s, China, through its long-term planning, managed to build 5,000 major dams whereas Pakistan built only two,” he said, adding had the hydropower potential of the country been tapped, Pakistan wouldn’t be facing the rising cost of electricity because of expensive imported fuel.
If Pakistan had been generating electricity through hydropower plants — which it has great potential for — the cost of electricity would not be so high, he rued.
“Electricity in Pakistan becomes more expensive with the increase in fuel prices because half of the electricity is generated through fuels,” he added.
Giving China’s example, the premier said it was the fastest progressing country because of its long-term vision. In Pakistan, however, governments only focused on what could be done within five years, in time for the next election cycle, he said, adding that he was “very proud that instead of thinking about elections, we (PTI government) planned ahead”.
He noted that Pakistan would have to cultivate more land as its population grew, questioning how land could be cultivated if water storage options were not available.
He cited the example of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan, where he said there were “hundreds of thousands of acres of very fertile land” and only water was needed to cultivate it. If the land in D.I. Khan was used for agriculture, KP would no longer need to procure wheat from other provinces, he added.
The premier further said that if land in other areas of the country, including Thar, was cultivated, Pakistan could become an exporter of wheat and cotton.
According to the premier, the construction of dams will also double the water storage capacity of Pakistan that will help irrigate land in Dera Ismail Khan, Thar and Balochistan.
With the rise in population, Pakistan will need more agricultural land, Imran said, adding that, “we have land but we lack water to irrigate them.” “These dams will provide water to cultivate the barren lands,” he added.
Speaking about the Kalabagh Dam project, PM Imran Khan said the federal government will need to convince Sindhis that Kalabagh is “beneficial for them”. “Without convincing them, the work on this project cannot be started,” he said, calling the reservations against the project a part of “anti-state propaganda”.
Imran Khan said being the federation, the centre will have to take along all provinces, which was why Sindhis needed to be convinced.
“We have only one issue: unless we convince our Sindhi brothers, anti-Pakistan forces working there will continue to use them by saying that their water will be stolen.” The premier said that a campaign would have to be run to convince the people of Sindh from a scientific point of view that they would not face any loss when the dam was built.
President of International Commission on Large Dams Michael Rogers termed the construction of ten dams by Pakistan as an amazing and world class endeavor. This, he said, is the road to prosperity and better future of Pakistan.
Appreciating the capability of WAPDA to execute these projects, Michael Rogers specifically mentioned that Diamer Basha is a dam for generations. He assured to provide Pakistan with state of the art knowledge to support the construction of the dams.
Chairman WAPDA Muzammil Hussain, in his remarks, said the construction of dams is aimed at food security and human security. He said work on the dams is being carried out with speed and accuracy.
During the ceremony, WAPDA Chairman Muzammil Hussain said the construction of dams was aimed at food and human security. He said work on the dams is being carried out with speed and accuracy.
Earlier, Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Moonis Elahi also addressed the symposium and said the political environment was a “bit strange these days [but] there is nothing substantial in it. A spectacle is going on, whatever talks are being held … we are political people. It is our job to meet people,” he said while addressing the premier directly.
“The important thing to understand is that political people form relationships and then see them through like we have formed a relationship with you and will see it through. So, it is my request that you tell the PTI in a firm way, ‘aap ne ghabrana nahi hai’ (you should not worry).” He added that the ministry would present a proposal on the Kalabagh Dam to the cabinet because it had become “essential” due to silting.