Islamabad: President Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) Dr. Murtaza Mughal on Sunday said Indian offer to export electricity to Pakistan is not a viable option.
It is a diplomatic initiative by an energy deficient country to get free publicity at a time when Pakistan is facing a shortfall of over 6000 megawatt, he said.
He said India, the sixth largest consumer of electricity, is fruitlessly trying to bridge the gap between demand and supply since decades to achieve high rates of growth on sustainable basis. However, she is facing the around 20 per cent power deficit and 42 percent transmission and distribution losses, one of the highest in the world, he said.
India’s population, which is 17 per cent of global count, can only consume 3.5 percent of international energy consumption, which is a serious threat to its future, he added.
Indian power sector is inefficient, heavily dependent on state subsidies and rate of return is negative up to 30-40 per cent.
Therefore, it is impossible for Indian leadership to export power to Pakistan on the cost of their population and industry. It is financially and politically unworkable as there is not a single town or industrial estate in India which is not facing load shedding, said Dr Mughal.
Pakistan government should stop looking for easy options to overcome power shortfall and utilize its full installed capacity, which is currently being operated on roughly 50 per cent efficiency, he opined.
Before offering electricity, Indians should have considered the decision of Pakistani authorities not to buy internet data from India which is available at a distance of only 18 kilometers from the border, he said.
Moreover, he said, one of the reasons India walked out of the Iran gas deal was to deprive Pakistan of expected economic benefits. How come ruling coalition accept Indian offer to pay them for electricity in the much-needed foreign exchange, he questioned.
Indian offer will not result in any economic miracle in Pakistan but it can pave way for Indian designs to transform Pakistan into a client state, said Dr. Mughal.
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