Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Directs Power Authorities to Limit Load-Shedding to Two Hours, Urges Swift Steps to Overcome RLNG Supply Hurdles
ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken stern notice of the escalating electricity power outages in the country in various areas and set a clear benchmark, stating that the power cuts should not last for more than two hours in any area.
The Prime Minister attended a high-level review meeting on ‘load management in the country’ in Islamabad, during which he voiced his deep concern and displeasure over the country’s growing power cuts in various cities. The officials briefed the Prime Minister on the impact of the Strait of Hormuz tensions on the regular supply of Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) during the briefing.
This resulted in a deficit in fuel supply which caused a drop in electricity generation at home and consequently led to load management actions to ensure the balance between the national demand and supply. In the wake of the disturbances in the supply chain for RLNG, Prime Minister Shehbaz told concerned departments to use all possible resources to address the issue in order to prevent any inconvenience to the public.
In a separate high level session held in Islamabad for the promotion of the agriculture sector and expansion of agricultural exports, Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted that agriculture is a critical sector for the economic stability and growth of Pakistan.
The premier have called for joint and strategic initiatives to create new opportunities for Pakistan’s agricultural products on the international market with instructions to commercial officers posted at Pakistan’s overseas missions to act proactively.
He stressed that value addition in agricultural commodities is an essential part for increasing export earnings. In addition, he initiated an intensive media awareness campaign about mobile application development for crop monitoring and reiterated the importance of good federal-provincial cooperation to boost per-acre production, modernisation of agriculture practices and the development of the livestock sector.