ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given green-signal to the construction of solar power projects of 2,000 megawatts in the public sector to generate low-cost and environment-friendly electricity and directed officials to ensure citizens get uninterrupted gas during the winter.
Presiding over a meeting Premier Shehbaz Sharif reviewed progress on the installation of 10,000MW solar projects across the country that the government aims to build in its attempt to cut the import bill of costly diesel and furnace oil.
Under the project, agricultural tube wells would be converted to solar power on an urgent basis, he said, adding that the solar power projects would also help overcome the perennial issues of line losses, power theft, and circular debt.
The prime minister, who was briefed in detail on solar projects, told the meeting the government would give a sovereign guarantee to the companies investing in such ventures. The meeting was informed that an investors’ conference on solarisation was held on Sept 14, which was attended by local and international firms, including from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China and Qatar.
Urging the United States not to see Pakistan-US relations through the “prism of Afghanistan” or the “lens of China”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was delayed due to a months-long PTI sit-in in 2014.
“CPEC was delayed due to the dharna of Imran Khan,” the prime minister said at the diplomatic reception held at the US embassy in Islamabad to commemorate the 75 years of relations between Pakistan and the US.
He vowed to revive bilateral relations with the United States by forgetting the past. “I want to say this very sincerely today that we want to build and reset these relations back to normal on the basis of trust, respect and mutual understanding,” he said. “Let bygones be bygones. As I said, there will be a lot what your [US] side will want to say […] but as long as we renew this friendship with sincere and serious dialogue, I can assure you that nothing will go wrong,” he added.
Read more: Premier Shehbaz reiterates desire to rebuild Pak-US partnership
