Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has said something very logical to the businessmen’s delegation that met him on Sunday, even though it was also something very plain: that in addition to the government, the private sector had to play a role in the ending of the energy crisis. This should not be taken to mean merely that it should grin and bear it, taking the loss it entails without too much protest, but that there should be investment in this sector. The delegation leader, Mian Muhammad Mansha, said that there was potential for 6000MW capacity in biomass generation. Mian Shahbaz also laid great emphasis on biomass generation to the delegation. It should be noted that the 6000MW mentioned is about equal to the shortfall that is causing the current crisis, between supply and demand.This is also a sign that Punjab can contribute positively towards solving the crisis. If Sindh has coal, KPK hydel and Balochistan natural gas, Punjab being the most populous and most developed agriculturally, would have the most biomass. Another fruitful avenue to be explored is that of solar and hydel power, both areas which have great potential, but which have need of courageous businessmen willing to make the investment. It would seem that Punjab alone has the capacity to make the turning to foreign sources for investment, or even for direct import of electricity, needless. If there is a clearheaded approach to developing its resources, by the time the other projects can be developed so that it is possible to import power, indigenous projects would be ready. Also, as in any sector, it would be preferable by far to have indigenous investment, to having Pakistani capital seeking investment opportunities abroad, while foreign capital is placed in the Pakistani energy sector.It probably needed no emphasis, but Mian Shahbaz did right by stressing the harmful effects of loadshedding. Admittedly, the businessmen in the delegation had not lost their jobs because of the energy crisis, but they have lost export orders, and not just had to order factory closures, but seen profits reduced. In the light of the seriousness of the situation, the business community has to rise to the occasion and put its shoulder to the wheel. It must come forward and invest in the power sector, not just because it is a national need, but because it is its own. Its delegation has made known its concerns, and should now feel assured that the government will resolve them, because it knows that if this problem is not solved, it will be punished the way its predecessors were.