PM Shehbaz forms task force to implement structural reforms in power sector

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted an eight-member task force to oversee the implementation of structural reforms in the power sector on Monday.

According to the notification issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari will chair the task force comprising representatives from various regulatory bodies.

Former caretaker federal energy minister Muhammad Ali, rehired as the PM’s special assistant on power with the status of minister of state, will serve as co-chairman, with Lt Gen Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, HI (M), as national coordinator.

Others include Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power Muhammad Ali as co-chairman, Lt Gen Muhammad Zafar Iqbal as national coordinator, and BPS-21 officer from the Secretariat Group Syed Zakaria Ali Shah, and one nominee each from the Nepra, Central Power Purchasing Agency, Private Power and Infrastructure Board and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan as members.

The development came as there have been multiple protests — including a sit-in being staged by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) — against the high cost of electricity.

The notification further stated that the task force has been formed to reduce the financial burden on the power sector being borne by the government and to enable the establishment of an efficient, liquid, and self-sustaining competitive power market.

The task force will also review and recommend measures to reduce capacity payments, address malpractices in the setup of independent power producers (IPPs), ensure compliance with government agreements, and propose solutions to the circular debt issue affecting the energy sector. The task force will oversee the implementation of its recommendations.