Shabbar Zaidi Proposes NEPRA Reforms to Address Energy Crisis
— September 24, 2024
Karachi (AIA) A seminar titled “Energy Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities” was held Monday at DHA Suffa University, Karachi. The event was organised by the Karachi Editors Club in collaboration with the university.
Former FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi, in his address, stressed the urgency of developing a national energy conservation policy. He criticised the lack of political will to tackle the energy crisis, noting that political parties seem indifferent to solving the issue. Zaidi called for dissolving the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and relocating it to Karachi, with no members from Independent Power Producers (IPPs). He also emphasised the need for structural economic reforms to address the crisis, attributing the current economic downturn to the mismanagement of the energy sector.
Vice Chancellor Brigadier (Retd.) Ahmed Saeed Minhas welcomed guests, highlighting the economic strain caused by rising energy costs. Former Managing Director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sohail Wajahat highlighted the role of energy in economic growth, adding that transparency is key to resolving the current energy crisis. Wajahat lamented the decline in agriculture, industry, and services due to internal mismanagement.
Malik Khudabaksh, Chairman of Malik Group of Companies, addressing the audience, stated that the IPPs with zero output are getting paid, burdening the national exchequer and causing an energy crisis. Engr. Abubakar Ismail, Head of Energy and Sustainability at Amreli, in his speech attributed the current energy crisis to poor planning and bad governance.
President of Karachi Editors Club (KEC), Mubashir Mir, highlighted the club’s efforts to foster collaboration between media, industry, academia, the business community, and government.
Secretary of KEC, Manzar Naqvi, appreciated the speakers for their valuable contributions and thanked them for participating in the event.
The seminar ended with a Q&A session, followed by the distribution of shields to the honoured guests.