Past regimes destroyed all state institutions: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday blamed previous governments –Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for destroying all state institutions during their tenures, ARY News reported.

While addressing the launching ceremony of a documentary drama in Islamabad on Thursday afternoon, the prime minister said the government will provide all possible assistance to promote the film and drama industry in the country.

He said, “Pakistani nation has huge potential and we will have to repose confidence in ourselves to tap this hidden talent. Pakistan was leading in the drama industry and we will have to strive hard for reviving this past glory.”

Talking about the availability of water and opportunities for hydropower, Imran Khan blamed past governments for not making long-term plans. “Unfortunately, past regimes did not focus on long term planning and went for short-term planning to get immediate results to win elections.”

The premier said that PPP and PML-N signed the most expensive power generation agreements in the subcontinent and ignored building dams to generate cheaper and clean-green energy.

Under these energy agreements made by the previous governments, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)government is compelled to spend billions of rupees as capacity payments to Independent Power Producers even if we do not have the need to buy electricity from them, he added.

The prime minister said that capacity payments will likely reach Rs1,500 billion in 2023.

He further said that when PTI came into power back in 2018, it immediately announced to build two dams in the country, after a gap of five decades, adding that construction work on Mohmand Dam is underway and will be completed soon.

He said the PTI government was paying special attention to hydropower in order to generate cheap electricity and to overcome climate change hazards as well.