Pakistan must diversify energy sources, strengthen western border engagement: Khurram Dastgir

Former Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan has stressed the need for Pakistan to diversify its energy sources and strengthen engagement

ISLAMABAD: Former Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan has stressed the need for Pakistan to diversify its energy sources and strengthen engagement along its western borders, warning that changing global dynamics and growing geopolitical tensions pose serious challenges to the country’s economic and strategic interests.

He was speaking at a session titled “Shifting Geopolitics: Risks, Resilience and Prosperity” on the third day of the 29th Sustainable Development Conference, organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Dastgir Khan said the United States’ retreat from its traditional global leadership role was among the most significant developments reshaping the international order. He cautioned that the longstanding guarantee of freedom of navigation, essential for international maritime trade, was increasingly under threat.

“Today it is the Strait of Hormuz; tomorrow it could be the Bab el-Mandeb, followed by the Suez or even the Panama Canal,” he said, highlighting the potential consequences of disruptions to major global shipping routes.

He also observed that a change in US leadership could significantly influence Washington’s policy towards Islamabad, emphasizing the importance of strategic preparedness and economic resilience.

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri discussed the changing geopolitical environment following the US-Israel-Iran conflict, highlighting Pakistan’s vulnerable position and the need for a carefully planned response to emerging regional challenges.

Chairman of the Pakistan Regional Economic Forum (PREF), Haroon Sharif, said global power dynamics and the use of force by states were undergoing significant changes. He noted that persistent economic uncertainty and rising macroeconomic risks had adversely affected the international investment climate.

Sharif warned that any major escalation in the ongoing US-Iran conflict could further increase trade risks and raise export-related costs for Pakistan.

Former Pakistan Ambassador to Iran Riffat Masood said the region had experienced decades of conflict and developed mechanisms to cope with instability. However, she pointed out that Pakistan had overlooked the importance of its western borders, particularly those adjoining Iran and Afghanistan.

Maj-Gen. (Retd) Dr Ehsan Mehmood Khan said the international order had historically remained in a state of transition. He observed that warfare had also contributed to the development of war economies, which continued to influence the political and economic interests of major global powers.

Parliamentarians Urge Coordinated Transition to Renewable Energy

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians, policymakers and development experts have called for accelerated adoption of utility-scale renewable energy in Pakistan, urging federal and provincial governments to improve coordination, address policy contradictions and overcome implementation challenges in the power sector.

Speaking at a plenary session titled “Utility-Scale Renewable Energy: Federal Policy, Provincial Priorities and Implementation Gaps,” participants emphasized greater provincial participation in energy policymaking, equitable resource distribution and policies that encourage investment in renewable energy projects.

They stressed that centralized decision-making alone could not resolve the country’s energy crisis, calling for stronger parliamentary oversight, effective policy implementation and improved provincial institutional capacity to promote solar, wind and hydropower.

MNA Dr Nafisa Shah said the lack of coordination between federal authorities, provincial governments and elected representatives had significantly contributed to Pakistan’s energy challenges.

She described the country’s energy situation as a contrast between an ongoing crisis and the growing success of renewable energy. Shah attributed rising electricity costs to expensive power purchase agreements, take-or-pay contracts and dollar-based indexation.

She warned that new federal energy initiatives could further increase financial burdens on consumers, stressing that energy governance must be based on federalism, fairness and democratic participation.

Shah urged provincial governments to raise energy-related concerns in their respective assemblies, emphasizing that policies lacking equitable distribution and stakeholder consultation could not achieve sustainable results.

MNA Riaz Fatyana said Pakistan’s installed electricity generation capacity stood at approximately 50,000 megawatts, with renewable sources contributing around 20 per cent. He maintained that the share could reach 30 per cent by 2030 if the 2019 renewable energy policy continued to be implemented.

Fatyana also called for the restoration of solar net metering, saying its discontinuation had caused considerable concern among consumers who had invested in solar energy systems.

MNA Barrister Danyal Chaudhry described the energy transition as an economic and strategic necessity, urging policymakers to prioritize utility-scale solar projects and introduce legislative reforms to support sustainable energy development.

He said a clear policy framework and consistent implementation were essential to securing the country’s energy future and meeting the needs of its 250 million people.