PM for 'out-of-box' solution to energy crisis.

Byline: Syed Irfan Raza

ISLAMABAD -- Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to find an 'out-of-the-box' solution to the energy crisis without putting any additional burden on the common man.

'As years of corruption and inefficiency have weakened the foundation of the system, the emergency situation required out-of-box measures,' the prime minister said.

The prime minister expressed these views while presiding over a meeting held here to review measures being taken for improving the efficiency of the state-owned institutions.

Minister for Energy Umar Ayub Khan, Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Minister for Privatisation MohammaAdmian Soomro, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and BroadcasAting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Petroleum Nadeem Babar and senior government officers attended the meeting.

PM Khan alleged that the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had inked faulty and costly international agreements that caused huge surge in circular debt in the power sector.

He directed that an emergency programme be devised for redressal of the energy and petroleum sectors' challenges, ensuring that the process of the system's reformation put minimum burden on the common man.

'The common man would not be made to bear the brunt of an inefficient and corrupt system, enforced for years and was not delivering,' he added.

The prime minister was apprised on the administrative reforms in the auxiliary institutions of the ministries of petroleum and energy during the last 18 months, increase in revenue and the measures taken to improve the overall performance of these institutions.

The participants of the meeting were briefed on the problems being faced by the ministries of petroleum and energy as well as the proposals currently under consideration to address these issues.

PM Khan said...