Pakistan considers energy co-operation among Saarc countries as an important element of the socio-economic development in South Asia. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Syed Naveed Qamar said this while addressing the concluding session 8-Nation Saarc Energy Conference here on Friday.
The minister complimented the Governing Board of the Saarc Energy Centre as well as the Saarc Energy Centre for taking up many important projects. The projects were in the areas of energy trade, energy efficiency, renewable energy including bio-diesel and bio-ethanol.
Joint import of crude oil, rural electrification, gas and power interconnection grid, development of non-conventional hydrocarbons, labelling and standardisation of energy appliances were among the projects. Besides, preparation of common template for power exchanges, sharing of best practices, capacity building and technology transfer also featured in the projects.
Qamar said Pakistan had taken the initiative of hosting the Saarc Energy Centre to providing a platform for initiating, co-ordinating and facilitating regional, joint and collective activities in the energy sector of South Asia for economic growth and development of the region.
He expressed satisfaction over the full participation of all the eight Saarc Member States (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka), in the meetings and their interaction with energy professionals of Pakistan. The minister noted with pleasure that the Saarc Energy Centre had already entered into agreement with the Asean Centre for Energy to extending co-operation beyond the Saarc and to learn from the experiences of Asean region in the field of energy co-operation.
The conference was attended by Irshad A Kaleemi Joint Secretary (Development), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Pakistan, T.M. Herath, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power and Energy, Sri Lanka, Nizwee Rasheed Second Secretary, High Commission of the Republic of Maldives, Sudhir Kumar, Joint Secretary, (International Co-operation), Ministry of Power, India, Ghulam Dastgir, Director, Saarc Secretariat, Kathmandu, Karma Tshering, Chief Engineer and Head, Planning and Co-ordination Division, Department of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bhutan, Hilal A. Raza, Director, Saarc Energy Centre, Islamabad, Muhammad Jan Rostazada, Afghanistan, Engr. Anwar Hossain Khan, Director General, Hydrocarbon Unit, Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Ministry of Power Energy and Mineral Resources, Dhaka (Bangladesh), Anup Kumar Upadhyay, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Kathmandu, Nepal, Muhammad Hassan Wazir, Director (Saarc), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan. The minister commended the effort of the participants.