PM Imran blames previous govts for energy crisis

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired energy sector huddle on Wednesday to assess proposed reforms to surmount looming crisis in the sector, ARY News reported.

The huddle, comprising key cabinet ministers and advisors, briefed the PM on reforms proposed for the sector and how are they carried out. They apprised Prime Minister Khan on the progress made on the reforms.

The session was attended by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Asad Umar, Minister for Privatization Muhammad Mian Soomro, energy minister Omar Ayub Khan and advisor to PM on finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Petroleum Division Nadeem Babar SAPM on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Dr Sania Nishtar, SAPM on Power Division Shahzad Qasim were part of the session as well.

They briefed the PM on the timelines for each reform as to when they were expected to be materialized.

PM Imran Khan addressing the session noted that the sector overall was under severe crisis and asserted that due to the costly agreements for power, everyone from a layman to industrialists suffered the outcome.

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It is due to such hostile agreements, the PM noted, that heaps of circular debt accumulated and the burden of exorbitant power rates is incurred on the national exchequer.

The PM directed the meeting to guarantee transparency in the subsidy process and make sure the deserving beneficiaries of the subsidies are fairly disbursed subsidy in the most effective way.

PM Khan advised the moot to lay out a roadmap on how the energy sector reforms will be implemented and what will be the product of those reforms.

He said that once the roadmap has been furnished it is imperative to steer the sector out of the crisis situation. The Prime Minister advised the session that the way-forward should be such to fulfil energy requirements of all the sectors.