Year: 2025

QUETTA: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly has flagged massive financial irregularities in the provincial energy department, warning of strict accountability measures if mismanagement continues. In a session chaired by Asghar Ali Tareen, audit officials revealed that during FY 2021–22 the department was allocated Rs10.4 billion, but only Rs8 billion was utilised, leaving Rs2.31 billion to lapse. Lawmakers slammed the failure as irresponsible governance and poor budgeting. Audit records further showed Rs10 billion paid to K-Electric and Rs30 billion to Qesco for subsidised tube wells without meter…

Read More

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has returned to Pakistan following an official visit to China, where he reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to its all-weather strategic partnership with Beijing. The President toured Chengdu, Shanghai, Urumqi, and Kashgar, holding meetings with provincial leadership to discuss the future of Pakistan-China relations, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and regional connectivity projects. Talks also focused on advancing cooperation in peace, development, and trade. Several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed during the visit to boost collaboration across multiple sectors. President Zardari lauded China’s hospitality and praised…

Read More

ISLAMABAD: The second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) presents a vital opportunity for Pakistan to transition towards green industrialisation, integrating low-carbon technologies and advancing sustainable development, experts and officials emphasised at a recent seminar organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). Former federal finance minister Shamshad Akhtar noted that Pakistan has already reaped benefits from China’s investments in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and solar technologies. She stressed that policymakers must now prioritise green finance as a national imperative within the CPEC framework. “Pakistan should align its financial…

Read More

KARACHI: K-Electric (KE) has intensified its crackdown on electricity theft in Karachi’s Saddar area, removing more than 1,300 illegal connections through 38 anti-theft drives conducted since the beginning of the year. The confiscated “kundas” weighed over 1,700 kilograms, and the initiative has saved around 1.45 million units of electricity, significantly reducing the area’s loss profile. According to KE, these measures have enabled the utility to keep 88 out of 100 feeders in Saddar completely load-shedding free, supplying uninterrupted electricity to key commercial and administrative hubs including Cantt Station, Civil Lines,…

Read More

KARACHI: Dr. Khalid Waheed, Research Fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), has warned that India’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) could drive up electricity costs in Pakistan by reducing hydropower generation and forcing reliance on expensive fossil fuels. Speaking at a seminar organised by the Council of Economic and Energy Journalists (CEJ), Dr. Waheed said hydropower remains Pakistan’s cheapest energy source, but even a 1% reduction in river flows could increase generation costs by Rs 5.8 billion. A further one-rupee depreciation of the rupee would add…

Read More