Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mehmood Qureshi complained to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Monday about the ‘casual attitude’ of the officers posted at south Punjab secretariat in Multan, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing a function at Nishtar Hospital, Multan held in connection with the arrangements made at the hospital recently to use solar energy to power electrical appliance, he said as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan he appealed to the CM to conduct a survey to ascertain as to how many officers posted at the secretariat remained absent from their duties.
“If we are to transfer powers to the lower levels, the presence of these officers must be ensured,” he stressed.
Dispelling the impression that the present Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government had done little for the people of South Punjab, Qureshi reminded that the prime minister had laid the foundation stone of the South Punjab secretariat.
He said not only that Rs4 billion had also been allocated for the secretariat. He said the people of Pakistan had returned PTI candidates to assemblies.
He told the gathering that it was the government’s greatest desire and endeavour that it could improve its image in the eyes of people.
FM informed that Nishtar Hospital, Multan was being structured on modern lines.
He said Pakistan had been gifted glaciers through which the country could generate 50, 000 megawatts of electricity.
Similarly, he added, there was abundant sunshine in the country, particularly in Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab which could also be used for producing electricity.
FM said one of the challenges the country was confronted with was expensive electricity, which could not be made cheaper with the switch of a button. Qureshi said inflated bills gave people nightmares.
He told the gathering that according to the new strategy chalked out by the present government, alternate means of power production such as thermal, hydel and solar were being tested.