Foreign aid weakened Pakistan: PM

KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said early completion of federal government projects in Karachi and the early launch of newly-announced development work were among government's key priorities.

He also directed all officials concerned to ensure completion of all projects within the time-lines committed by them, as he was keen to inaugurate them as soon as possible for the welfare and benefit of the people of Karachi.

The prime minister was chairing a meeting to review the progress of ongoing development projects under the Karachi Transformation Plan (KTP). The prime minister directed Wapda to ensure availability of clean and sufficient water for Karachi as early as possible while adopting all the technically feasible and economically-viable methods.

Minister for Planning Asad Umar said that at the moment, the prime minister's concern and focus was on the Karachi city, as the metropolitan city had a unique importance for being the economic hub and financial capital of Pakistan.

Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Minister for Railways Azam Swati, Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Zaidi, Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal and senior government officials attended the meeting.

The prime minister was briefed on the restoration of three major nullahs of Karachi, including Mehmoodabad, Gujar and Orangi, Malir and Lyari rivers, construction of roads astride nullah s, laying of sewerage system and relocation of utilities, a press release issued by the PM Media Office said.

The chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the NED University of Engineering and Technology study/survey of all the nullahs was completed and the anti-encroachment drive was in full swing. He said 100 percent and 98 percent progress was respectively achieved on Mehmoodabad and Orangi nullahs, while 89 percent encroachments was removed from Gujar Nullah. Similarly, 97 percent and 90 percent dredging and cleaning works respectively of Orangi and Mahmoodabad nullahs were complete, while 79 percent progress was achieved on Gujar Nullah. The work on RCC walls of Mehmoodabad nullah was nearing completion, while it will soon pick up pace at the other two nullahs.

The prime minister was informed that all the remaining civil works will be completed by June 2022. He was also briefed on the latest update of the Green Line and Orange Line BRT projects.

The Green Line operations will commence by October this year, as 80 buses will be arriving at the Karachi Port from China by mid-September 2021.

Similarly, on the request of the Sindh Government, SIDCL (Sindh Infrastructure Development Co.Ltd) was also procuring 20 buses for the Orange Line, which were expected to reach Karachi by December 2021. The chairman Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) briefed the prime minister on the K-IV project for supply of water to Karachi. He informed that the city was currently drawing 1,200 cusecs (665 MGD), including 100 MGD from Hub Dam. The megapolis was facing severe shortage of water. In order to mitigate the miseries of citizens of Karachi, the K-IV project was conceived/executed by the Government of Sindh and co-financed by Sindh and federal governments. However, it remained in limbo for over a decade. Now, the federal government was executing the project through Wapda.

The prime minister was informed that the joint cross-sectional survey of K-IV was completed up to 85 kilometers and unified consultants and international staff from ILF had been mobilised. The final design was likely to be completed by October 2021. Civil works will commence by February, 2022. The project is likely to be completed by October, 2023. The prime minister was then briefed about the railway projects, including the freight corridor from Keamari to Pipri Marshalling Yard and Modern Karachi Circular Railways (KCR).

The Freight Corridor project, which seeks construction/dualization/up-gradation of a 50-km dedicated freight corridor from the Karachi Port to Pipri, included the development of an inland container depot/marshalling yard at Pipri. The project is expected to capture 40 percent of the cargo meant to be transported to the upcountry. The feasibility study of the project has been submitted by the transaction adviser. The project is expected to be floated in the market in October 2021.

The KCR project seeks construction of a 43-km-long world-class affordable mass transit system, using environment friendly electric trains. The draft feasibility study has been submitted.

Once the transaction structure and bidding documents are approved by Public Private Partnership (P3) Authority (P3A), the project is expected to be floated in the market by November 2021.

While addressing a gathering of local people after a tree plantation drive and inspection of mangrove trees, Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed upon development of beach and coastline tourism in Balochistan province by properly exploring the unseen tourism potential of different areas, which could lead to generation of huge revenues. He said it was the job of the government to change living standards of the people by bringing in drastic changes.

He observed that every area had some different characteristics, adding they must also concentrate upon those tourism spots, which could attract the Muslim population across the world.

The prime minister, citing reason for making the country an attractive destination for the Muslims, said due to Islamophobia across the globe, the Muslims were reluctant to go to the Western or European countries, along with their families for tourism.

He further said that the government planned to develop beach tourism and would seek scientific suggestions from quality consultants in this regard.

The prime minister said hilly or mountainous areas were developed by the British during their rule, but these areas were being degraded slowly, citing the example of Murree which had seen massive changes due to huge construction. For the first time, the government was developing new hilly terrains and exploring other scenic spots to attract maximum tourists, he added.

He said the country 's coastline remained unexplored and also emphasised upon reservation and increase of mangrove forests as they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in abundance.

The prime minister said he was mesmerized with the beauty of the area. Allah Almighty had blessed the country with precious resources, he said and regretted that in the past, the people did not do justice with these natural gifts. The prime minister underlined the need of valuing these gifts with proper development and planning.

He said once these areas were developed into tourism spots, they would help change lives of the local people, create jobs with better education and health facilities. The prime minister said the world was experiencing severe climatic impacts in forms of flooding and forest fires, affecting different parts of the globe. He said Pakistan had already been taking a lead in the global efforts to reverse climatic change impacts.

A recent report of UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), comprising a group of scientists, pointed out that human activities were changing the temperature of the world in an unprecedented way, the prime minister said, warning that the rise in temperature would make the globe uninhabitable planet, if immediate measures were not taken by the world community.

The prime minister noted that Balochistan province lacked behind in terms of progress and development due to lack of interest by the former federal governments. The previous rulers preferred to reside in London without taking pains to visit these neglected areas. Some Baloch leaders also did not pay attention to the province, he added.

The prime minister said for the first time in the country' s history, the federal government was spending a huge amount of Rs1,000 billion for the development of Balochistan. Such an amount was never allocated or spent in the province, he said, linking the progress of Balochistan province with the development of the whole country.

He said the government's efforts should be geared towards improving the lives of people to ensure livelihoods for them, education for their children, and health facilities. "It is the foremost responsibility of the government to see how we can make the people's lives better and to first fulfil their basic needs and then check how to make them happy."

He expressed the resolve that the government would provide all the basic facilities to the residents of the province. The prime minister further noted that the province was rich with massive mineral resources and if proper planning was done, it would result in huge revenues for the province.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Kamal and other provincial authorities were also present.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday inaugurated the ship lift and transfer system at the Karachi Shipyard, which would help improve efficiency of the shipping sector. The prime minister performed the inauguration by touching an electronic panel on the occasion.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi, Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal, parliamentarians and officials of the Pakistan Navy were also present. The ship lift will work as a large elevator platform to raise the ship out of water for dry-docking ashore and lowering it back into water after completion of work. The ship transfer system with its electro-hydraulic trolleys has been designed to transfer ships from ship-lifts to dry berths on land.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said the government was focusing on promotion of exports, encouraging overseas Pakistanis to increase remittances and attract foreign investment. He said efforts were underway to check money-laundering to stop loss to national exchequer. He regretted that Pakistan could not reach its potential of the trajectory which it had maintained 50 years ago and foreign aid made the country weak. Nations become strong when they become self-sufficient and trust their potential to flourish, he added.

"We became an import-led economy and Pakistan started relying on foreign aid," he said. "We didn't recognise our power." Whenever someone starts to depend on crutches, his physique deteriorates, he added. PM Khan used this example to state that God has made nations in a similar way, adding that when they learn to struggle and rise above hurdles, they prevail in the end.

Highlighting his government's priorities, the prime minister said Pakistan must end reliance on imports and attract foreign investment in the country. He said it was also important for the country to end money laundering, so that the dollars it earns do not leave the country. He termed the installation of the ship lift system as an effective use of technology to save revenue and earn foreign exchange by lending services.

He paid tribute to the Pakistan Navy for the launch of the ship lift and transfer system, which he said would prove to be fruitful in generating economic activity.