Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called for equal opportunities to all countries for the transfer of civil nuclear energy, expressing Pakistan's determination to meet its energy requirements from all available resources, including nuclear energy.
He was inaugurating a two-day International Conference on Energy: Sources of Regional Cooperation and Competition in Islamabad on Monday. "It has been organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Munich.
The prime minister said that installation of more nuclear reactors are under way in the country with the necessary requirement, adding the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is doing a fine job by monitoring nuclear energy technology in the world.
He said every country has the right to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the appropriate safeguards, adding there is a need to be a level playing field for all countries to have access to nuclear technology without any discrimination.
He said in Pakistan the energy requirement is increasing from 8 to 12 percent annually. However, Pakistan is fulfilling its 75 percent energy requirements from the domestic resources, he added.
Shaukat Aziz said: "We need to expand and diversify in the next 25 years our energy needs and Pakistan has hydel, gas, coal resources and is pursuing nuclear energy to maximise utilisation of indigenous resources." The prime minister said: "We have three future energy security with the growing population. These include water, food and energy security. We strongly belief in energy security."
He said Pakistan is on the crossroad of Middle East and Central Asia and is an energy corridor for all. He said our energy policy reflects three points - increase the energy resources, stable and uninterrupted supply and ensuring environmental procedure.
The prime minister said Pakistan will have Mega Oil Refinery project with the help of UAE in the coastal areas while LNG terminal is being built in Karachi. Shaukat Aziz said that Pakistan has recently signed an agreement with Iran to increase its electricity supply from the border areas which will be taken to the grid stations. Earlier, the supply was up to the border areas.
He said, at present, Pakistan has the very latest gas distribution system. He said we are encouraging private sector to invest in the energy sector, while our energy policy is being constantly improved to make it more efficient.
About extremism, he said the world has to address its root causes with peaceful manner. He said the major countries of the world should set up factories and construct infrastructure in Afghanistan and should provide more opportunities of jobs to them.
Answering questions from the scholars, the prime minister said that negotiations are in progress for the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project. He said we want to go with this project and there is progress.
To another question, he said we have completed Ghazi Barotha water reservoir and Mirani Dam and Subakzai Dam is being inaugurated on Monday in Balochistan. About Kalabagh dam, he said we are developing national consensus on this project as hydel power is cheap for us.
Earlier, ISSI Chairman Inamul Haq, in his address of welcome, threw light on the importance of energy for Pakistan, saying that China Study Center has been established in the ISSI.
HSF Resident Representative of Richard Asbeck said that efforts are under way to create ties with more countries in the common interest areas to bring solution to the energy problems in future. Scholars from Iran, Bangladesh, Japan, Argentina, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, China, Singapore, USA, Sudan, and Pakistan will present their papers on energy at the conference.