Month: March 2021

A close aide of the prime minister has stepped forward in the K-Electric deal that may lead to another controversy. Different quarters say that intervention by the premier’s close aide, who had previously worked on different positions in K-Electric, may derail the progress made so far in resolving the payables and receivables dispute among Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), Ministry of Finance and K-Electric. The issue, which potentially erodes financial viability of both public and private sector entities and which can be traced back…

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Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Power Tabish Gauhar has suggested the privatisation of five power distribution companies in Punjab in the first phase after clearing their loans to improve the balance sheet and enable them to borrow from banks for restructuring. During discussions in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP), he commented on the draft report prepared by a working group and suggested that it would be more appropriate to privatise five distribution companies in Punjab in the first phase and the remaining three more challenging…

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The federal government will have strong footprints in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) even after approval of a new Act of parliament, which is contrary to the objectives of ensuring efficient and financially viable public sector firms by ending political interference. The draft of State-owned Enterprises (Governance and Management) Act 2021 suggests that the government still does not want these entities to be truly free from political meddling. But the general principles and objectives mentioned in the proposed legislation indicate that the entities may be revived, subject to meaningful autonomy. The federal…

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LAHORE: The construction work on 21MW Tangir Hydropower Project, meant for providing electricity to the people in various areas during construction phase of Diamer Bhasha Dam, has commenced, according to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda). The construction works on eight sites of Diamer Bhasha Dam and nine of the Dasu Hydropower projects are also underway these days on a fast-track basis. Bhasha Dam project sites where the construction work was going on include access tunnel, access roads, upstream and downstream cable bridges, a senior official told Wapda Chairman…

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