Former premier and senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Thursday announced the coalition government is forming a commission to probe the wrong decisions taken by former prime minister Imran Khan which led to massive losses in the petroleum sector.
Addressing a press conference flanked by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Abbasi said, “A commission will be formed to examine the losses in the petroleum sector and will investigate the wrong decisions taken by the previous government.”
The ex-premier also mentioned that the commission’s investigation will be open to the public and the media, adding that reasons for the increase in circular debt will be bought forward. He said that the body would also help bring forth details of the increase in circular debt and the additional borrowing.
The PML-N leader further said that the flawed decisions made by the Imran-led cabinet had caused billions of losses to the country.
“The government has taken the reins of power two months ago,” he said. “The circumstances in which we took power were identified in November and December last year.”
Expressing his views, Ahsan Iqbal asserted that the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was directly responsible for the worst electricity load shedding situation prevalent across the country.
He said the then PTI government had failed to make agreements for purchasing cheap liquefied natural gas (LNG) due to which the LNG-based power projects with an installed capacity of over 3500 MW were shut down.
“This summer season is the season of PTI government’s mismanagement and ill planning, while the next summer season would be far better as the government would plan well,” he said while addressing the media here. Iqbal said the current government had to take tough decisions to set the country’s economy in the right direction.
He said it was the former PTI government that had put the economy on the verge of default. “If the PTI government would not have been ousted, the country would have defaulted by now,” he said. He agreed that in the current summer season, the people had to face many difficulties. However, Iqbal said the government was working day and night to minimise their difficulties.
The minister also held the PTI government’s mismanagement and incapability for the prevailing inflation in the country. The minister asked the PTI leadership to seek forgiveness from the nation for their wrongdoings during their four-year tenure.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir said the government is working to enhance the energy production and would insert around 5000MW more electricity into the national grid by next year.
