ISLAMABAD, Feb 9: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday the government would soon hold the energy summit in Lahore to evolve a consensus on ways of overcoming the energy crisis. “I have talked to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and he has agreed to cooperate in holding the summit in Lahore,” Mr Gilani said while talking to reporters after the ground-breaking ceremony of a project of the Pakistan Housing Authority in Kurri.

The decision to hold the energy conference was taken at a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) held here on Thursday.

The energy summit originally scheduled in April last year was to be attended by representatives of all provinces and the departments concerned to find a solution to the shortage of gas and electricity.

Mr Gilani asked the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Dr Hafeez Sheikh, to convene the conference at the earliest.

Replying to a question about the formation of a Drugs Regulatory Authority, the prime minister said: “The issue will be addressed in the 20th Amendment.”

COUNCIL OF COMMON INTERESTS: The prime minister also presided over a meeting of the Council of Common Interests on Thursday. It was attended by Chief Ministers Shahbaz Shraif of Punjab, Syed Qaim Ali Shah of Sindh and Amir Haider Khan Hoti of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar, Minister for Science and Technology Mir Chengz Khan Jamali, Minister for Communications Dr Arbab Alamigir Khan and Minister for IPC Mir Hazar Khan Bajrani and chief secretaries of all provinces.

The meeting approved the annual report of last year which is to be submitted to parliament as a constitutional requirement.

On a presentation of the Sindh chief minister, the prime minister directed the Planning Division and Economic Affairs Division to provide complete support to the province in arranging funds for the Thar coal project on a priority basis, because it was of paramount importance.

The prime minister asked the chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh to provide incentives to sugar mills to use bagasse to generate electricity because it had the potential to generate around 2,000MW of power per year.

The CCI approved in principle the policy of Petroleum Exploration and Production 2012. It decided to hold a meeting of representatives of provincial governments early next week to address objections raised by provinces over the issue.