‘Govt should seek civil nuclear technology’

LCCI says US cooperation in this regard will cement ties.

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has on Thursday urged the government to press the United States for provision of civil nuclear technology to help Pakistan overcome the ongoing electricity crisis.

In a statement, LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that the US should provide civil nuclear technology to Pakistan, as it has to neighbouring India. He said the decision to provide civil nuclear technology to Pakistan will not only strengthen relations between the two countries, but will also cement economic ties.

“Pakistan has more than 35 years of experience in running nuclear powered plants. With a trained workforce and a strong nuclear safety and security culture, Pakistan fully qualifies for participation in civil nuclear cooperation at the international level,” the LCCI President said. “We ask the government to urge all relevant forums to increase Pakistan’s access to nuclear technology for peaceful uses, in a non-discriminatory manner, to meet its growing demand for energy,” he said.

The LCCI President said that increasing power consumption has resulted in surging in unemployment and contraction in industrial productivity.

Sheikh said that Pakistan has failed to derive benefits from its sizable coal resources due to one reason or the other.

He said the only way out of this conundrum is seeking civil nuclear technology, which he hopes the United States will provide.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2012.