ISLAMABAD - South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Regulators have agreed to speed up the implementation of Energy Framework Agreement between the member states, official sources said.

Four countries didn’t send their technical experts/regulators to attend the SAARC Energy Regulators meeting and these were represented by the diplomatic officials of their respective high commissions.

The two-day meeting, which concluded here Thursday, discussed SAARC Energy Framework Agreement which emphasized mutual cooperation on development of efficient conversational, renewable energy resources, energy efficiency, energy conservation, sharing of knowledge and promoting competition among the member states.

Chairman NEPRA, Tariq Saddozai presided over the two-day meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Regulators. No official declaration was issued about the decisions taken in the two days meeting.

The meeting of SAARC Energy Regulators recognised that interactions and dialogues have to be established among the stakeholders of the sector including the regulators in the member states in order to effectively materialize the issue of regional energy cooperation. The members also agreed to speed up the implementation of Energy Framework Agreement.

The meeting was on the cross border connectivity and regulation in the SAARC member countries and was supposed to be attended by the energy experts/regulators from both the countries. But unfortunately only two SAARC members’ countries sent their technical experts.

Technical experts from majority SARAAC member countries didn’t attend the meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Regulators.

Four SAARC member states, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Maldives didn’t send their technical delegates/regulators to the meeting. Instead they deputed their diplomatic officials to attend the meeting. Instead of sending technical experts Afghanistan sent their first secretary, Afghan High Commission, Mujtaba Yaseen. Bangladesh was represented by Deputy High Commissioner, High Commission Bangladesh, Najmul Huda, India was represented by its first secretary, High Commission India, Ahmed Mujtaba, and Maldives was represented by First Secretary/Deputy Head of Mission, High Commission Maldives, Ambu Bhawani karki. However, Member, Electricity Tariff Fixation Commission, Nepal, CN Saliya W Mathew, Chairman , Public Utilities Commission, Sri Lanka and Deputy Director General, Public Utilities Commission, Sri Lanka, Garmini Hearath attended the meeting on the behalf of their respective governments.

It is almost impossible to discuss technical issues with non technical people or people of diplomatic circles. The agenda was about cross border connectivity and regulator from the partner in CASA project, Afghanistan, was absent from the meeting.

However, when contacted, spokesperson of NEPRA, Aisha Tassaduq, said that they will issue a detailed press statement to the media Friday (today). Regarding absence of the technical experts/regulators from four countries, she said that it doesn’t have any impact at the outcome of the meeting as all the matters were communicated in advance between the member states.