Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that private sector is the engine of growth and he would like to see it play a leading role in the economy. The Prime Minister was talking to the office-bearers of Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry who called on him at Prime Minister House here on Sunday.
He said government only gives policy to create an enabling environment for the economy within the imperatives of social justice.
The delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce congratulated the Prime Minister on his election as the Prime Minister of the country and hoped that challenges would be converted into opportunities under his leadership.
The PM said he was committed to ease load shedding in the country as soon as possible and as a matter of fact some improvement has already been felt by the people in the country.
The Prime Minister said that the situation would further improve as the hydro power generation was going to be increased due to the considerable improvement in the rivers flow attributed to the monsoon and melting of glaciers.
The Prime Minister said he was very clear that the development of indigenous sources of energy was absolutely critical for the development of the economy on sustainable basis as the oil based energy costs billion of dollars required for fuel oil.
The Prime Minister said it was his passion to see the development of Thar Coal Project which definitely offered the cheap indigenous solution for the energy crisis on permanent basis.
The solution will get the country out of the vicious circle of circular debt and also provide enormous fiscal space by saving billions of dollars spent on import of oil and same could be spent to undertake people's welfare-oriented development projects, the
Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said Thar Coal held key to prosperous future of Pakistan and he was determined to see its development to the possible extent.
"I will soon visit the site of the project being undertaken under the able leadership of Dr Samar Mubarakmand pertaining to underground gasification meant for power generation."
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of exploiting the alternative sources of energy for which there was huge potential in the country.
The Prime minister was apprised by the CEO of Alternative Energy
Board Arif Alauddin that the three projects of windmill would start functioning on experimental basis by the end of this month and by the end of next year to produce 400 MW of electricity through this source.
The Prime Minister said he would go to the Jhimpir Project by end of this month and see the experimental operation of the power generation turbine through windmill established under the auspices of Fauji Fertiliser.
The Prime Minister also appreciated the industrialists for the adoption of Surface Gasifire Plants to meet their energy requirements for their plants in order to meet their production targets.
The Prime Minister said he was happy to know that the private sector was also working fast to produce about 2000 MW of electricity through biogas which was again an indigenous source and therefore was worthwhile.
The delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce was headed by its Acting President Asad Fareed and was comprised Shinwari, Vice President, Tariq Sadiq, Munawar Mughal, Abdul Rauf, Muhammad Nasir Khan, Malik Zubair Ahmed, Ejaz Abbasi, Zahid Maqbool, Chaudhry Muzamil Sabir, Shayan Khalid, Khalid Malik, Zafar Bakhtawari, Chaudhry Khalid Mehmood Member, Ameen-ur-Rehman and Khalid Javed. Aziz Ahmad Bilour, Secretary Industries, Muhammad Ejaz Chaudhry, Secretary Petroleum, Dr Samar Mubarakmand, Member Science and Technology Planning Commission and Arif Alauddin, CEO Alternative Energy Board also attended the meeting.