WITH the addition of Rs28.6bn every month, the circular debt has again mounted to Rs286bn according to a news report. The finance ministry is paying a monthly subsidy of Rs25bn but power sector payables are likely to soar to Rs370bn by June 2014 … There has been an increase in electricity generation [during the ongoing fiscal] and the power tariff for industrial and commercial concerns was also revised in October 2013 … the phenomenal increase [in the circular debt] is a matter of wonder.

In order to overcome electricity shortage in the 1980s, the Benazir Bhutto government opted for oil-based IPPs. The short-term solution was a bit costly but it eliminated load-shedding for some time. Ironically, no attention was paid [by successive governments] to explore other sources.…

The government should now take up the matter seriously and take [concrete] measures to overcome the shortage by concentrating on hydel, solar and wind energy projects … taking the general public on board.

The government should assess the electricity requirement of every household and provide ... solar or wind power plants either free of cost or on subsidised rates … [W]ork on hydel power projects should also be initiated on a war-footing and electricity thus saved should be supplied to the industrial sector. It’s a pity that we are an atomic

power but do not have electricity even for our homes... — (April 18)

Selected and translated by Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui.

Opinion

Editorial

What now?
20 Sep, 2024

What now?

Govt's actions could turn the reserved seats verdict into a major clash between institutions. It is a risky and unfortunate escalation.
IHK election farce
20 Sep, 2024

IHK election farce

WHILE India will be keen to trumpet the holding of elections in held Kashmir as a return to ‘normalcy’, things...
Donating organs
20 Sep, 2024

Donating organs

CERTAIN philanthropic practices require a more scientific temperament than ours to flourish. Deceased organ donation...
Lingering concerns
19 Sep, 2024

Lingering concerns

Embarrassed after failing to muster numbers during the high-stakes drama that played out all weekend, the govt will need time to regroup.
Pager explosions
Updated 19 Sep, 2024

Pager explosions

This dangerous brinkmanship is likely to drag the region — and the global economy — into a vortex of violence and instability.
Losing to China
19 Sep, 2024

Losing to China

AT a time when they should have stepped up, a sense of complacency seemed to have descended on the Pakistan hockey...