Power sector reforms in pakistan
Nearly two decades ago, the government came to the late realisation that a power sector owned and operated by the state was inefficient and resulted in under-investment in power generation, transmission and distribution systems, leading to ‘loadshedding’. - APP Photo
Two and a half years since ascending to power, the political government in Islamabad still appears to have little idea about how to address the crisis in the power sector. True, many of the reasons for the crisis are structural and pre-date the present government, but the fact remains this administration inherited a mess that through inaction it has helped turn into an even bigger mess. A report in this paper yesterday suggests that at long last, the next step in the privatisation and deregulation of the power sector may finally be undertaken — though even at this point it is not clear which reforms will be pushed through and which will remain tied up in bureaucratic red tape.