MANSEHRA: Chairman of the Wapda Hydroelectric Union Jamil Tanoli on Wednesday said that the newly-licenced Hazara Electric Supply Company would begin operations at the start of the next fiscal year.

“This is a dream come true as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to inaugurate Hazesco offices next month,” Mr Tanoli told reporters.

He said Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yusuf and former MNA and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar played a pivotal role in the establishment of Hazesco and confirmed the prime minister’s upcoming visit for the launch.

The union leader said the government had approved Rs30 million for the renovation of a Wapda building on College Road Abbottabad where Hazesco’s offices would be relocated from a rented facility in Mandian.

PM likely to inaugurate company’s offices next month

He said shifting Wapda’s offices from College Road to rented premises would be a waste of time and public funds, so the government should reconsider the plan.

Mr Tanoli proposed that the government acquire a suitable rented facility for Hazesco operations and preserve the existing Wapda setup at its current location.

He also urged the government to construct the Hazesco Complex over 10 kanals of land near the grid station on Murree Road in Abbottabad.

“The prime minister should also perform his groundbreaking during the visit. It will save Rs30 million and provide long-term benefits,” he said.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority licensed Hazesco last month to purchase, transmit and distribute electricity to consumers.

The energy ministry had officially notified the creation of Hazesco on Jan 18, 2023, following approval from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) issued a certificate of incorporation under the Companies Act, 2017.

Meanwhile, a local council resource centre was inaugurated here to facilitate and train representatives of tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils in the Hazara Division.

“This is the first facility of its kind established here to strengthen the performance of local governments in Hazara,” Kamal Saleem Swati, deputy provincial president of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, told the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday.

The event was attended by the deputy director (LG) and representatives of the tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils.

Mr Swati said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati had approved Rs40 million from his funds for the establishment of the centre, which would focus on the capacity building of elected representatives across the Hazara division.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2025