The fact that a threat from PML-Q, the government’s coalitions partners at the centre, to part ways brought the public a significant relief from loadshedding just goes to prove that the problem is to a great extent man-made which fact was also pointed out by Dr. Samar Mubarakmand who held mismanagement of the circular debt to be part of the problem. Also, as reported in The Nation on May 14, the celebrated and accomplished scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand who was part of the team that gave us nuclear bombs, accused Planning Commission of putting serious hurdles in his way by declaring his Thar coal project as ‘unfeasible’ and stopping financial assistance at a time when his team had successfully gasified coal and was determined to provide cheap electricity to the energy-starved country and that, too, at the lowest possible cost as compared to other modes of electricity generation. The accusation is a serious charge-sheet against the Planning Commission and if true, and I have no reason to believe that it would be untrue, because the points raised by Dr Mubarakmand are not mere expression of opinion and forecasts, but specific facts, which can very easily be verified by an independent team. Dr Mubarakmand also complained that the National Bank of Pakistan had not released funds to him despite the fact that the President himself had issued directions for the purpose. This is really disgusting.
Considering how the system works in our country, it is not exactly unknown for some vested interests to be holding the entire nation to ransom. Considering the seriousness of the loadshedding issue and its repercussions, including the potential to give rise to large-scale riots, the matter should be given immediate and serious attention, by forming a team of qualified men of integrity in the field of science as well as finance to investigate and report on the feasibility of Dr Mubarakmand’s Thar coal-gasification and energy-generation project. In the national interest, the initiative could even be taken up by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf which recently held seminars and discussions programmes on the energy issue.
S.R.H. HASHMI,
Karachi, May 14.