Lights out: Power outage on first day of energy conference

Conference is being held in Lahore to seek remedies to tackle the ongoing energy crisis in country.

LAHORE: The National Energy Conference, being held to seek remedies to tackle the ongoing energy crisis in the country, experienced a power outage on its very first day, Express News reported on Monday.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, chairing the meeting, inaugurated the conference while thanking the Punjab government and then moved on to resting the blame of the energy crisis on the non-payment of dues.

Federal Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar proposed that in order to overcome the crisis, electricity can be imported from Tajikistan, Iran and Uzbekistan. While Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani announced the initiation of a transmission line from Chasma to Zhob.

On the other hand, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif complained that the Punjab government was being punished rather than being rewarded for the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

The two-day conference was arranged by the government to find sustainable remedies, with the help of stakeholders and technocrats, to tackle the ongoing energy crisis. It is being attended by stake-holders from all provinces including Gilgit-Baltistsan (GB) and Azad Kashmir.

Energy Conference a futile exercise: Punjab Forum

The National Energy Conference is an attempt to deceive the masses dejected over prolonged energy outages, the Punjab Forum said Monday.

“The outcome of this useless conference will not be different from the previous conferences that concluded with big talk but contributed nothing toward reducing the shortfall,” it said.

The Punjab government added insult to injury by hosting a conference in which the issue of Kalabagh dam (KBD) was not part of the agenda, said President Punjab Forum Baig Raj.

He said that the sustainable energy availability has become the most important issue for the country’s economic development. However, there is no hope that the federal or provincial government would do something practical to resolve the crisis except tall claims and controversial short-term measures, he added.

Demanding immediate power supply to industries, he said that thousands of industrial units have been closed while 500 textile units have shifted to Bangladesh.

The lobbies hindering KBD and other projects are doing great disservice to the country. Their efforts will turn Pakistan into a market of Indian goods, he warned.

He said that the masses should rise to get their rights including the construction of KBD otherwise they will have no future in the absence of energy.