Against the backdrop of an energy crisis that has triggered protests in parts of Punjab, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday ordered officials to examine the possibility of immediate import of electricity from neighbouring countries.
Mr. Sharif directed authorities “to examine the possibility of importing energy from neighbouring countries to improve the situation on immediate basis”, said a statement issued after the premier chaired a high level meeting on the energy situation.
Though the statement did not specify the countries that could possibly supply energy, sources told PTI that Mr. Sharif had personally asked Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal to expedite a visit by Indian energy experts to Pakistan.
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Following Mr. Sharif’s request, a team of Indian experts visited Islamabad and Lahore earlier this week to discuss the export of gas and electricity.
On Tuesday, Power Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif chaired a meeting with a five-member Indian delegation led by a Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Power and discussed several proposals, including the setting up of a transmission line to export 500 MW of electricity.
The Indian delegation held discussions with representatives of the National Transmission And Despatch Company Limited in Lahore before travelling to Islamabad.
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The Indian experts also met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of the premier and a member of a federal Cabinet Committee on Energy.