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Pakistan supports self-governance in Kashmir, says Aziz

* PM says energy sector in focus
* Opens work for power plant at Balloki in Kasur

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Tuesday that Pakistan supported demilitarisation and self-governance in Kashmir for an end to the long-standing dispute with India.

“Pakistan is a peace loving country and desires a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of Kashmiri people,” the prime minister told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of a power plant at Balloki in Kasur district. The project has bee launched by the Orient Power Company (PVT) Ltd to produce 225 megawatts of electricity.

Aziz said Kashmir was a complicated issue and various proposals were being discussed to find a solution acceptable to the three stakeholders. He said Pakistan supported the proposals of demilitarisation and self-governance in Kashmir.

The prime minister called opening of the Line of Control at five points a “positive step in the right direction”. He said the initiative of President Pervez Musharraf would help Kashmiries on both sides interact and improve people-to-people contact.

To a question regarding the National Assembly opposition’s response to the Parliamentary Committee for Relief, Aziz said the agenda of both the government and opposition on national issues should always be in the interest of the country and its people. He hoped that matters pertaining to the terms of reference of the committee would be sorted out amicably.

Earlier, speaking at the function, the prime minister said the government was pursuing a comprehensive programme to meet Pakistani economy’s energy requirements with special focus on the participation of private entrepreneurs in the sector.

The prime minister said structural reforms in different sectors had been fruitful and made the country capable of achieving the GDP growth rate of 8.4 last year.

“We have fixed the GDP annual growth target at 6 to 8 percent and would hopefully achieve it this year also.” He said Pakistan’s was one of the fastest growing economies in the world and would require huge investment of around RS 1 trillion over next few years in energy sector to maintain the growth rate.

He said the government was negotiating with Iran, Qatar and Turkmenistan to import gas to meet energy requirements. Referring to the devastating earthquake, Aziz said Pakistan’s economy had managed to absorb its impact. He said the donors conference had helped Pakistan with pledges of dollars $6.2 billion which would help carry out rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the affected area.

He said the Balloki Power Plant was the first major project initiated after the earthquake. Shaukat Aziz thanked Oman for investment in Pakistan and the Oman Oil Company for joining the Orient Power Company (Pvt) Ltd as shareholder in the project.

Punjab Governor Lt General Khalid Maqbool, Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jattoi, the ambassador of Oman, the WAPDA chief and several parliamentarians attended the ceremony. agencies

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