A viable energy strategy for Pakistan

In this age of hard competition for access to energy, world-wide shortage of power resources and transportation bottlenecks, the only viable policy for Pakistan is to attain maximum possible self-sufficiency in this regard. It may have some advantages of geo-strategic location and sufficient space to maneuver its access to a reasonable share in energy resources of the world, but this advantage is of transitory nature. It may be cancelled out by big powers’ aggressive diplomacy or even military action. As a matter of general policy the country should be made self- sufficient in energy as quickly as possible. The first and foremost task in hand is to take short term measures, make provision for as many power producing units as required, get over the immediate problem and plan to bridge the energy gap with the precision and urgency of wartime operations. As logical extension of this policy a long term vision should make provision for generation of surplus energy that should serve as stand by arrangement during the course of the next five years. The long term measures, however, should project a vision until 2030 in view of the time factor involved in building dams, laying gas pipelines between the points of origin to the points of destination, utilization of coal for power generation etc.