‘Govt-academia collaboration key to resolving power sector issues’

Islamabad: Commending the role of National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) in world-class human capital formation and nation-building, Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari underscored the need for sustained government-university collaboration for tackling power sector challenges.

He made these remarks at a seminar on ‘Powering a Sustainable Future: Identifying and Solving Challenges in Electricity Generation, Transmission, and Distribution,’ organised by NUST US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E) and NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS). The seminar was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) as part of the latter’s efforts for result-oriented knowledge-based engagement with academia.

The minister stressed that power tariff reduction is one of the key priorities of the government which, he remarked, requires comprehensive power sector reforms based on the rationalisation of the overall political economy of power generation and distribution, including the mutually acceptable review of agreements with IPPs. The minister assured the attendees that the government was committed to providing cost-effective electricity to consumers and was in the process of taking practical steps toward that end.

Lt Gen (r) Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST, welcomed the honourable guest upon arrival at the university. He apprised him of the NUST’s key strengths in interdisciplinary collaboration, research, and innovation promotion, highlighting how these attributes have positioned NUST as a leader in advancing knowledge and addressing societal challenges.