Month: August 2021

There was a time when Peshawar was known as the city of flowers. Perhaps this was because of the many gardens built in the 16th and 17th centuries during the Mughal Era. Professor Sayed Amjad Hussain wrote in the September 7, 2018 issue of The Friday Times that, “At one time, Peshawar was known by her monikers ‘City of Flowers’ and ‘City of Seven Colours’. In a not-too-distant past, the arrival of spring was heralded by flower-sellers balancing large baskets of roses on their heads and walking through the labyrinthine…

A Chinese company building a 720-megawatt hydropower generation complex on the Jhelum River says it has been facing serious problems and delays in obtaining advance tax exemption orders at import stage from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for the last few months. In a letter to CPEC Authority chairman Asim Saleem Bajwa, the Karot Power Company Ltd (KPCL) complained that the FBR authorities at the Karachi Port have rejected the firm’s exemption application for its three shipments without giving any reason. The rejection of the application without any compelling…

The Pak-China Relations Steering Committee on Monday directed finalisation of a uniform policy framework within a month for extension in commercial operation dates (CODs) of five power projects of about 3,600 megawatts being set up under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The meeting presided over by Planning Minister Asad Umar also directed the Power Division to ensure availability of sufficient power for operationalisation of 660kV transmission line from Matiari to Lahore from Sept 1. The committee also directed National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to finalise tariff for the project during…

Making a new record, the state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has purchased a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at $20.055 per unit (almost 27.9pc of Brent), the highest ever not only in the country but perhaps the second highest summer purchase in the world. This comes at a time when the government was justifying $15.5 per million British thermal unit (MMBTU) purchases by Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL), another state-run entity, as the lesser evil when compared with alternative fuels. As a result of the expensive LNG cargoes acquired through…