Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that due to polio of corruption, poverty and unemployment has increased. He said that wrong policies of corrupt rulers have caused serious crises of electricity and gas which have badly affected industries and other sectors of the country.
He said had a planning been made for generating energy from coal and bagasse instead of running after the projects of rental power for the last four years, the country would not have been plunged into darkness. He said that country is rich in resources but the policies of rulers based on greed, selfishness and dishonesty have brought the country at the verge of disaster. He said that Punjab government is making efforts for achieving the target of hundred percent elimination of polio from the province and expressed the hope that we will definitely succeed to achieve this goal.
He was talking to media-men on the occasion of inauguration of a 3-day polio campaign in the province here today. Member National Assembly Hanif Abbasi, representative of World Health Organization Dr. Debra Betal, representatives of UNICEF, Secretary Health, Director General Health Services and officials of Health Department were also present on this occasion.
Talking to media-men, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that polio has been eliminated in most countries of the world but the disease of polio is still existed in some countries, and, unfortunately, Pakistan is also included in these countries. He said that Punjab government is making strenuous efforts for completely eliminating polio from the province for the last three and a half years and the campaign of eradication of polio has yielded positive results.
He disclosed that Punjab province is taking lead in controlling polio and target of hundred percent elimination of polio from the province will definitely be achieved. He asked all stakeholders and civil society to extend helping hand to the government for achieving the target of elimination of polio.
The Chief Minister said that besides disease of polio, elimination of polio of corruption is utmost essential which has caused crises of gas and electricity and due to energy crises, industries are closing and lakhs of labourers are becoming jobless. He said had the sincere effort made for overcoming the energy crises, there would not have been a difference of 5000 mega watt in supply and demand.
He said that vast reserves of coal are available in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa and Balochistan. He said that had a policy evolved in consultation with industrialists, investors and experts for generating energy from coal, there would have been generating 3500 mega watt electricity through coal.
He said that there are 72 sugar mills in Pakistan and had a policy of generating electricity through bagasse made in consultation with owners of sugar mills then about 2500 mega watt electricity would have been generated through it and we would not have been spent foreign exchange of billion dollars on the import of oil.