• Referring to the PTI protests, the finance minister said the country was losing Rs 1,900 crore per day due to “conflicts and strikes”.
• Prime Minister promises maximum security to Chinese nationals living in Pakistan
• Vows not to allow a repeat of 2014, when PTI sit-in “derailed Xi Jinping’s visit”
ISLAMABAD: A Chinese national who lost his life in a terrorist attack near Karachi airport on Sunday night was in talks with government officials regarding renegotiating terms for independent power producers (IPPs), a senior government official said on Tuesday. revealed.
Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb’s remarks came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to do everything in his power to make Chinese nationals working in the country “untouchable.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed that a peaceful and secure atmosphere is essential to attract foreign investment, and avoid a repeat of what happened in 2014, when a PTI sit-in derailed a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. also promised.
In his remarks, the Finance Minister said that the slain men were IPP engineers, and that he and his cabinet colleague, Power Minister Awais Leghari, were negotiating with them to help Pakistan achieve debt reduction. It added that it is requesting a review and extension of the maturity date. Electricity rates that bring peace of mind to people.
“This was a Chinese IPP committed to moving forward with us to create a win-win situation for both China and Pakistan. Senior executives from China also flew from Beijing to move the process forward,” the foreign minister said, expressing condolences for the loss of life and expressing hope that the dialogue with the Chinese side would continue to move forward. .
Aurangzeb spoke about the situation created by the PTI’s strike call that left major cities such as Islamabad and Lahore virtually paralyzed for several days, while the economic department of the finance ministry is calculating the negative impact of such conflicts. said.
They estimate that a one-day strike could cost the economy around 1,900 billion rupees.
This was in addition to the losses suffered by the social sector, including people unable to go to hospitals and children unable to attend school. Construction workers, street vendors and other day laborers whose livelihoods have been affected.
He estimated that approximately 800,000 households in the federal capital alone were affected by the conflict.
PTI protest
Speaking at the federal cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz termed the recent PTI protests as a “reenactment of the party’s 2014 sit-in”. “We will not allow it to happen again. We will not tolerate it under any circumstances and at any cost. This is my promise. I will not let that happen,” he said. Said.
He recalled that in 2014-2015, sit-ins were carried out for several months and were not stopped despite the announcement of the Chinese President’s visit to Pakistan.
He said that on the one hand, the government is trying to stabilize the economy, and on the other hand, the KP prime minister is leading a group of subversives, Afghan nationals and government officials to incite violence in Islamabad.
At a time when the Chinese prime minister’s visit is just around the corner and a Saudi delegation is scheduled to visit Pakistan, suspicions are being cast against the government and attempts are being made to cause chaos, he said. said.
Published at Dawn on October 9, 2024
