ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that Pakistan was ready to work with the new US administration after the Presidential Polls.
“It makes no difference if any party comes into power as there would be no change in the foreign policy of the US,” he said after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with USAID under USAID technical assistance for Planning Commission in energy sector in Islamabad.
The minister said that the United States had to play a positive role for maintaining peace in the region and Pakistan was ready to play its part to strengthen world’s efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan.
Ahsan Iqbal further said that around 10,000 MW electricity would be added to the national grid by the year 2018. He said that the country was able to produce upto 16,000 MW in its 70 years while it was set to produce an additional 10,000 MW in next three years.
The minister said that the objective of this MoU was to set up an integrated energy management center to optimize demand and supply of the electricity in the country.
The federal minister pointed out that no attention was paid to optimize use of energy in the past and as a result one sector of the industry had to shut down to provide energy to other sector.
Earlier, Secretary Planning Commission, Naseem Khokhar and USAID’s Pakistan Mission Director John Groarke signed the MoU.
