• Says transparent, timely completion of uplift schemes govt’s top priority
• Directs ministry to prepare roadmap for investment in health sector
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday approved electricity projects for Gilgit-Baltistan and Gwadar, including a 100 MW solar project in GB to ensure interrupted, affordable and sustainable power supply to the area.
Presiding over a meeting on power sector initiatives in Gwadar and Gigilt-Baltistan, the prime minister approved immediate implementation of a comprehensive plan to resolve issues in the power supply to Gwadar Port City.
All relevant institutions should work in complete coordination to ensure uninterrupted, affordable and reliable power supply to Gwadar Port City, the prime minister directed.
Issuing special directions for the immediate initiation of the 100-megawatt solar project in GB, PM Shehbaz also directed that the project must ensure uninterrupted and sustainable provision of clean and environmentally friendly electricity.
“The welfare and economic development of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan is among the top priorities of the federal government,” he said, adding that every possible measure was being taken to promote industrial activity, investment and economic growth in GB.
“Uninterrupted electricity supply in Gwadar will certainly enhance national economic activity and investment,” the prime minister said. He said electricity supply for industries and investors in the country should meet regional and international standards.
Briefing the meeting, Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said that due to the ministry’s prompt actions, power supply disruptions in Gwadar had already been reduced by 42 per cent.
After resolving outages, a comprehensive plan has also been prepared to stabilise the voltage of supplied electricity in Gwadar within the next six months, the minister said, adding that effective and productive steps were being taken to ensure electricity supply to domestic and commercial consumers in Gwadar.
Among short-term projects, 9.7 megawatts of solar capacity will be installed in major government institutions within the next 8 to 12 months, while in the long-term projects for Gwadar, a 40-megawatt project will be installed to ensure sustainable power supply.
The meeting was informed that due to ongoing industrial and economic development, expansion of Gwadar Port, and growth in urban areas, electricity demand in Gwadar was expected to increase by 30 per cent in the coming years. The 100-megawatt solar project in Gilgit-Baltistan consists of two components: an 18-megawatt rooftop solar programme and an 82-megawatt utility scale solar project.
The rooftop and utility scale solar projects in Gilgit-Baltistan will be completed by 2027 and joint projects between the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Ministry of Energy will save the government Rs1 billion annually, the meeting was told.
The meeting was further informed that the GB government would ensure timely provision of land, communications, infrastructure, and other facilities for electricity projects.
Development projects
Presiding over another meeting later, Prime Minister Shehbaz underscored that transparent and timely completion of nationally important development projects remains the government’s top priority.
He directed officials concerned to devise an across-the-board reform strategy covering all stages of development projects, from approval and planning to procurement and human resource deployment.
PM Shehbaz said he would personally chair a steering committee comprising federal and provincial stakeholders to oversee reforms in the development planning and execution framework.
He thanked development partners, particularly the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), for their support and technical assistance in advancing reforms aimed at ensuring the timely completion of projects critical to national development.
Meeting with US doctors
PM Shehbaz also met a delegation of Pakistani-origin doctors residing in the US and instructed the Ministry of Economic Affairs to prepare and present a workable roadmap for investment in the country’s health sector in consultation with doctors. He asked for resolving all issues related to investment in Pakistan’s medical sector by Pakistani physicians living in the United States.
The delegation, led by Dr Samir Shafi, comprised Dr Jawad Shah, Dr Tajammul Hussain, Dr Nauman Haider, and Rana Zahid Amir.
Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2025
About the Author
