Government to encourage private sector to play leading role in economy:
PM

     ISLAMABAD, Jul 8 (APP): Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on
Sunday said private sector is the engine of growth and
he would like to see it play a leading role in the economy.
     The Prime Minister said this while talking to the office
bearers of Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry who called on
him at Prime Minister House here.
     He said government only gives policy to create an enabling
environment for the economy within the imperatives of social
justice.
     The delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce was headed by
its Acting President Asad Fareed and it included, Shinwari, Vice
President, Tariq Sadiq, Munawar Mughal, former President, Abdul
Rauf, Muhammad Nasir Khan, Malik Zubair Ahmed, Ejaz Abbasi, Former
President, Zahid Maqbool, Ch Muzamil Sabir, Shayan Khalid, Former
Senior Vice President, Khalid Malik, Executive Members, Zafar
Bakhtawari, Ch Khalid Mehmood Member, Ameen-ur-Rehman and  Khalid
Javed.
     Aziz Ahmad Bilour, Secretary Industries, Muhammad Ejaz
Chaudhry, Secretary Petroleum, Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, Member Science
and Technology Planning Commission and Arif Alauddin, CEO Alternative
Energy Board also attended the meeting.
     The delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce congratulated
the Prime Minister on his election as the Prime Minister of the
country and hoped that challenges would be converted into
opportunities under his leadership.  
     The PM said he was committed to ease loadshedding in the
country as soon as possible and as a matter of fact some improvement
has already been felt by the people in the country. The members of
Islamabad Chamber agreed with the Prime Minister.
     The Prime Minister said that the situation would further
improve as the hydro power generation was going to be increased due
to the considerable improvement in the rivers flow attributed to the
monsoon and melting of glaciers.
     The Prime Minister said he was very clear that the development
of indigenous sources of energy was absolutely critical for the
development of the economy on sustainable basis as the oil based
energy costs billion of dollars required for fuel oil.
     The Prime Minister said it was his passion to see the
development of Thar Coal Project which definitely offered the cheap
indigenous solution for the energy crisis on permanent basis.
     The solution will get the country out of the vicious circle of
circular debt and also provide enormous fiscal space by saving
billions of dollars spent on import of oil and same could be spent
to undertake people's welfare-oriented development projects, the
Prime Minister said.
     The Prime Minister said Thar Coal held key to prosperous
future of Pakistan and he was determined to see its development to
the possible extent.
     "I will soon visit the site of the project being undertaken
under the able leadership of Dr. Samar Mubarakmand pertaining to
underground gasification meant for power generation."
     The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of
exploiting the alternative sources of energy for which there was huge
potential in the country.
     The Prime minister was apprised by the CEO of Alternative Energy
Board Arif Alauddin that the three projects of windmill would start
functioning on experimental basis by the end of this month and by
the end of next year to produce 400 MW of electricity through this
source.
     The Prime Minister said he would go to the Jhimpir Project by
end of this month and see the experimental operation of the power
generation turbine through windmill established under the auspices
of Fauji Fertilizer.
     The Prime Minister also appreciated the industrialists for the
adoption of Surface Gasifire Plants to meet their energy
requirements for their plants in order to meet their production
targets.
     They are in a way helping the government in a big way because
the electricity thus saved would lead to narrow the demand and
supply gap proportionately in the national grid, he added.
     The Prime Minister said he was happy to know that the private
sector was also working fast to produce about 2000 MW of electricity
through biogas which was again an indigenous source and therefore
was worthwhile.
     The Prime Minister said that the provincial governments had
also embarked upon such projects as there was no bar on them to
produce electricity.
     After the 7th NFC award the financial health of the provinces
had improved significantly and the federating units should also
share this responsibility with the spirit of collective national
obligation, he added.