Energy woes: PM’s efforts unproductive, says PEW

PEW) on Wednesday has said PM Raja Pervez Ashraf’s renewed focus on energy has offered nothing to the masses.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Wednesday has said Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf’s renewed focus on energy has offered nothing to the masses. The first meeting that the Ashraf chaired after assuming charge as prime minister was to resolve the energy crisis proved to be a useless effort, it has said. “Load shedding has increased in the harrowing summer, making the lives of 180 million Pakistanis miserable, affecting industrial and agricultural production, leading to deaths and making mobs more violent,” said PEW President Dr Murtaza Mughal. “The announcement regarding provision of extra fuel to independent power producers (IPPs) was portrayed positively, despite the fact that the problem in not scarcity of fuel but non-payment of dues,” he said. Dr Mughal said the non-serious attitude of the government is evident from the fact that it has not taken any action for resolution of the problem after four sovereign default notices by IPPs.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2012.