Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Professor Ahsan Iqbal met German Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Cyril Nunn here on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties of Pakistan and Germany. The Ambassador appreciated the economic initiatives undertaken by Government of Pakistan and called for strengthening the ties between two countries.
The Ambassador informed the Minister about upcoming events in Germany for promotion of economic co-operation between two countries and discussed areas for future co-operation. Ahsan Iqbal said, "Pakistan Vision 2025 will be launched on 11 August, 2014 by the Prime Minister and will be a roadmap for national revival." The Minister outlined the priorities of government and explained the high priority accorded to energy sector of Pakistan as energy loss is hampering growth of Pakistan's economy. "Government has given highest priority to energy sector for coming two years," he said.
He said that the government is working on one hand to end the electricity crisis and on the other is adopting cheaper means of energy to control high cost of generation and for that several new coal-based power plants are being installed on a fast-track basis, which would take three years to complete and by 2017 'we will have significantly increased the electricity generation capacity of Pakistan.'
He further said that government has expedited work on on-going energy projects and is also focusing on energy efficiency, demand management and distribution system up-gradation. "In partnership with the provincial governments, federal government is launching an awareness campaign to help improve energy efficiency and manage the electricity demand," he added.
He said, "We hope 2,000 megawatt of power will be available within a year with the completion of these ongoing projects. We are also expecting a saving of 1000 megawatt by introducing demand management measures." Talking about the physical infrastructure, the Minister highlighted that the government has taken several initiatives to improve the physical infrastructure of the country which will create jobs as well as improve delivery and transportation of goods and services.
He said, "Karachi-Lahore Motorway (KLM) is a mega project which will improve the road network of Pakistan." The Minister also talked about the steps taken to modernise the railway system which will help in coal transportation for coal-based power plants. The Minister said that Pakistan Vision 2025 will put Pakistan on a fast-track of growth and make it one of the fastest emerging markets of world. The focus of Pakistan Vision 2025 is to create a strong economy for stable and strong Pakistan.-PR
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