Government striving hard to increase production of electricity and bring down cost of production per unit through a balanced energy mix strategy: minister

Islamabad, March 07, 2014 (PPI-OT): Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, Muhammad Barjees Tahir has said that the government of PML (N) is striving hard to increase the production of electricity and bring down the cost of production per unit through a balanced energy mix strategy, focusing more on alternative energy sources like hydro power, coal, wind and solar energy.

He was addressing the gathering of members of Pakistani and Kashmiri community living in Berlin and its suburban areas, organized by the Pakistan Embassy in Berlin today. Referring to performance of the Federal Government in the first eight months, the Federal Minister said that the Government was able to increase the production of electricity from 11000 MW to 17000 MW, put the economy on the right track and reduced the corruption, rampant in many public sector institutions.

He informed that his ministry’s efforts bore fruit as it was able to save an amount of Rs 2.5 Billion from the wheat subsidy being given on the supply of wheat to people of Gilgil-Baltistan and this money was now being spent on the construction of Cardiology Hospital in Gilgit, for which PC-1 has been prepared.

He said that under the youth loan scheme, first instalment of Rs 3.5 Billion had been disbursed to the successful applicants. Federal Minister said that the special security force had been raised to protect tourists visiting Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan has been fighting against terrorism for the last 13 years but without any security policy and now the government of PML (N) has formulated a comprehensive Internal Security Policy to eliminate this menace from the buds, the Minister said and added that Terrorism and dialogue would not go together.

On the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the Federal Minister said that the Government of Pakistan would continue to extend its diplomatic, political and moral support to the people of Kashmir for their just cause and the world powers that enforced referendum in East Timor and South Sudan to decide the fate of the people living there, should also give attention to the plight of the people of Kashmir and create conducive environment to hold plebiscite as per resolutions of the UN Security Council.

He lamented that a number of mass graves were discovered in the Indian occupied Kashmir in the near past but no neutral investigation could be initiated so far. Replying to a question about the expulsion of 67 Kashmiri students from the University in Meerut, India on raising slogans in favour of Pakistan on its victory against India in a cricket match, the Minister said that Pakistan would welcome to these students on its land.

‘In case of any unjust step against them, we will knock the doors of International Court of Justice. This incident is an eye opener for those who intentionally ignore the Kashmir issue and always failed to read writings on the wall’, he added.

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