Pakistan desires Japanese investment in solar power, potable water projects: PM
Staff Writer
Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said this week that Pakistan was desirous of Japanese investment in the projects of solar energy, cleaning drinking water, and treatment and drainage of wastewater and materials.
The prime minister expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Japanese companies based in Pakistan, led by Japan’s Vice Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Satomi Ryuji.
Japan’s ambassador to Pakistan Wada Mitsuhiro was also present on the occasion.
He said Pakistan was speedily moving towards benefitting from sources of renewable energy like solar, wind and hydel as the money being spent on expensive oil, gas and other fuels was an intolerable burden on the economy.
The PM said Pakistan was initiating on emergency basis projects for generation of 10,000 megawatts of solar power.
For this purpose, the government had prepared an effective investment plan and had already held a pre-bid conference of the stakeholders, he told.
Under the solarization project, solar parks would be established and government buildings, commercial centers and tubewells would be converted to solar energy to save precious foreign exchange.
The prime minister invited the Japanese companies to invest in this important project and assured them of every possible facility and concession.
He said Pakistan wanted investment of the Japanese companies under the public-private partnership mode for setting up of projects for the provision of clean drinking water and treatment and drainage of wastewater and materials in Karachi.
The premier thanked the government and people of Japan for the financial assistance of $ seven million and for their expression of sympathy on the loss of precious lives during the recent unprecedented devastating floods in Pakistan.
On this occasion, Shehbaz Sharif also ordered the formation of a committee comprising officials of relevant departments for solving issues of the Pakistan-based Japanese companies, on a priority basis.
Minister for Board of Investment Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister of State for Industry and Production Syed Murtaza Mehmood, Minister of State for Finance Dr. Aisha Ghous Pasha, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatimi and officials concerned attended the meeting.
