ISLAMABAD, March 13: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday that establishment of nuclear power plants would be encouraged to produce cost-effective energy to meet the country’s growing needs.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with US Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, he said the two countries had decided to set up a working group to take energy negotiations forward and enhance bilateral cooperation in the field.

Mr Aziz said the government would guarantee to purchase the entire electricity generated with the help of investors.

He said that Pakistan being a growing economy was determined to expand its energy sources to meet future requirements of economy. “Our goal is to explore more energy through various modes and we want US cooperation to increase energy production,” he stressed.

He said a team would be sent to the US within a month to discuss Pakistan’s needs.

Pakistan, he pointed out, was working on a 25-year plan to explore energy sources, including hydel, thermal, coal, nuclear, gas, LNG and renewable energy, besides looking to import gas and electricity from Iran, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

About the US opposition to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, he said Pakistan would take all decisions in its national interest.

He said Pakistan was ready to work as an energy corridor for Central Asian states, China and other countries.

Turning to national politics, he said the Senate election was a proof that Pakistan was a developing democracy.

He appreciated the role of opposition in politics.

“We have been able to get a representative from Balochistan as deputy chairman of the upper house which is significant as Senate represents federation and it promotes inter-provincial harmony and federation.”

About the Kashmir issue, Mr Aziz said Pakistan’s stance was very clear that it wanted a peaceful solution acceptable to both India and Pakistan in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiris.

He said Pakistan believed that sustainable peace in South Asia could only be achieved with the settlement of the Kashmir issue and there had never been any change in its stance on the dispute. Pakistan, he said, had a principled stand, but “we have an open mind”.

Answering a question about adulteration in drugs, the prime minister said the government was making constant efforts to control production and sale of spurious drugs and ensure supply of pure drugs. He said the government had done more than ever before in this regard.

APP adds: He said Islamabad had offered many countries and was willing to encourage them to set up nuclear reactors in Pakistan to generate energy and Pakistan would buy this energy from these reactors.