Affordable and reliable energy essential for industrial competitiveness and exports, Joint Statement by Deputy Patron Zubair Chhaya, President Sheikh Umer Rehan and Rehan Javed:
KARACHI: The Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) has welcomed the appointment of Lieutenant General (Retd.) Muhammad Zafar Iqbal as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Energy, with the status of Minister of State, expressing confidence that the decision will improve coordination between the country’s power and petroleum sectors, bring greater policy clarity and ensure more stable energy supplies.
In a joint statement, KATI Deputy Patron-in-Chief Zubair Chhaya, President Sheikh Umer Rehan and Rehan Javed, a member of KATI’s Standing Committee on NEPRA and OGRA, congratulated Lt Gen (R) Zafar Iqbal on his new responsibility and thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the appointment.
Under the notification, the appointment took effect immediately. Lt Gen (R) Zafar Iqbal will oversee the Power and Petroleum Divisions of the Ministry of Energy.
KATI office-bearers said that the appointed of Lieutenant General (Retd.) Muhammad Zafar Iqbal brings extensive experience in the energy sector. As head of the National Task Force on Energy, he led efforts to review and renegotiate agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) and government-owned power plants. He also negotiated with commercial banks to arrange loans worth Rs1.225 trillion to meet payments owed to IPPs.
They noted that he had also overseen the Power and Petroleum Divisions as head of the National Coordination and Management Council (NCMC), established in April to replace the National Coordination Committee on Prices. The council manages imports of crude oil, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), while determining priorities for power generation. The Energy Task Force, which has now been transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office, is also addressing the circular debt issue in the gas sector.
KATI said affordable, reliable and predictable energy supplies were fundamental to industrial competitiveness, export growth and employment generation across Pakistan. Lt Gen (R) Zafar Iqbal’s experience of working on energy-related matters at the national level was a source of confidence for the country’s industrial and business community, it added.
The association expressed hope that his appointment would strengthen coordination across the energy supply chain and ensure that the concerns and recommendations of industry receive due consideration in policymaking.
KATI also pledged its full cooperation to the Special Assistant’s office, offering constructive, data-driven input from the industrial sector to support energy-related decisions. Through its Standing Committee on NEPRA and OGRA, the association said it was ready to engage with the relevant regulatory authorities on matters under their consideration.
KATI emphasised that sustained cooperation between the government, regulators and industry was essential to building a sustainable, efficient and equitable energy sector that serves both businesses and consumers.
