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Rawalpindi – A high-level meeting regarding Nullah Lai was held at the commissioner’s office under the chairmanship of Punjab Minister for Housing Bilal Yasin.
The meeting reviewed in detail measures for cleaning Nullah Leh, removing encroachments, improving the drainage system, preventing flooding and enhancing civic facilities around the nullah.
Members of Punjab Assembly, Commissioner Salman Ghani, Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Nasir, and officers of other relevant departments attended the meeting, noted an official press release.
Addressing the meeting, Bilal Yasin directed that a special force be constituted for the approximately 9-kilometre densely populated stretch of Nullah Leh, with an effective patrolling system established to ensure that garbage is not dumped into the nullah again after cleaning and that encroachments are prevented. He directed Wasa to establish the force immediately through its own resources and commence patrolling at the earliest.
He said that Nullah Leh is of vital importance to Rawalpindi and constitutes a key component of the city’s drainage system. All concerned departments must work in a coordinated manner for its cleaning, rehabilitation and protection.
The minister made it clear that dumping of garbage and illegal construction in Nullah Leh after de-silting would not be allowed under any circumstances, while the cleaning operation should continue on a permanent basis. He stressed the need to create public awareness and take action against violators in accordance with the law.
Bilal Yasin further directed that a zero-tolerance policy against encroachments along Nullah Leh be strictly implemented so that the nullah does not fall victim to garbage and encroachments again after its cleaning and rehabilitation. To make the cleanliness system around Nullah Leh more effective, a permanent monitoring mechanism should be established with the cooperation of local residents, the business community and civil society.
Commissioner Salman Ghani said that monitoring of various locations along Nullah Leh through Safe City cameras was being further strengthened. The system would help identify individuals and vehicles involved in dumping waste into the nullah, enabling immediate legal action against them.
He added that measures would also be taken to establish a special monitoring and control room for Nullah Leh and to employ modern technology for flash-flood monitoring and early warning alerts.
The meeting also emphasized seeking recommendations from technical and chemical engineering experts to reduce the risks associated with water flow and flash flooding in Nullah Leh.
Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) following the direction from the commissioner seals illegal commercial activities at Mid City Apartments.
RDA Enforcement Squad, with the assistance of Police Station Airport conducted the operation against ongoing illegal commercial activities at Mid City Apartments at Service Road, Mouza Gangal. During the operation, various illegal commercial activities, including unauthorized offices, restaurants and illegal penthouses, were sealed by the RDA team.
PAEC launched to unlock potential, raise Pak-Africa trade to $15b by 2030
islamabad – Pakistan and African countries at the inaugural ceremony of the Pakistan-Africa Economic Council (PAEC) reaffirmed their resolve to raise bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2030, diversify economic and trade relations, and bring the private sectors, including chambers of commerce from both sides, closer to each other.
The two sides also reiterated their commitment to promoting mutual investment and, through comprehensive and long-term planning, fully exploiting their untapped resources to take bilateral economic and trade relations to new heights.
The inaugural ceremony featured detailed discussions on promoting trade, investment, economic cooperation and business ties between Pakistan and African nations.
Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Consuls General from various African countries, including Rwanda, Mauritius, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia, attended the ceremony.
The speakers at the Pakistan-Africa Economic Council inaugural ceremony highlighted key Pakistani sectors, including agriculture, textiles, pharmaceuticals, information technology, minerals and mining, technology, food, education and infrastructure, that offer significant trade and investment potential in Africa, emphasizing that both regions should leverage their large populations, resources and expansive markets.
Federal Minister for Defence Production Muhammad Raza Hayat Hiraj congratulated the organizers on the establishment of PAEC and said that the forum would play a great role in enhancing economic and trade ties between African countries and Pakistan, describing it as a milestone in the economic history of both sides.
The Minister said that Africa’s population of 1.5 billion represented huge potential for Pakistan and that the private sector’s role was significant in increasing economic and trade ties.
Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi also paid tribute to the initiative and said that under the leadership of Ambassador Hamid Asgher Khan, the forum would work to strengthen economic and trade relations between Pakistan and the African region.
He said that Africa had a great future, adding that a rising Africa and an emerging Pakistan had huge potential for growth.
Addressing the Pakistan-Africa Economic Council (PAEC) Conclave here, Patron-in-Chief of PAEC Ambassador (Retd) Hamid Asgher Khan said that Africa was a “slumbering giant” that was awakening and would play a huge role in the global geo-economy, while economic and trade connectivity with Pakistan and other potential economies could further strengthen the relationship.
Hamid Asgher Khan said that bilateral trade between the African region and Pakistan was far below its true potential and there was a huge need to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion in the coming years to exploit its true potential.
He said that he had served for seven years in the African region and, after retiring from the Foreign Service, had started a new innings to connect the African region with Pakistan, which had huge economic and trade potential. He said PAEC would play the role of a catalyst in enhancing Africa-Pakistan economic ties.
The Patron-in-Chief of PAEC said that information technology and services, pharmaceuticals, health and medical services, and education were the main areas that could play a pivotal role in increasing the true economic and trade potential between Pakistan and Africa.
He said Pakistan’s current economic and trade potential in IT stood at $2.7 billion and could double after stronger connectivity with the African region in the coming years.
Hamid emphasized that Pakistan wanted to further expand mutually beneficial economic partnerships with African countries, where the private sector and business community played a pivotal role.
Addressing the occasion, President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Atif Ikram Sheikh said that Ambassador Hamid Asgher Khan was actively working to boost economic activities with African nations and would continue to play his role in solidifying trade relations.
Atif said that the African region held immense importance for Pakistan, as reflected in current government policies, and that the FPCCI would serve as a bridge between the business communities of both sides.
The FPCCI President noted that 54 countries in the African region held strategic value for Pakistan. Practical measures were needed to solidify economic ties, and the FPCCI remained committed to expanding trade relations and exploring new business avenues.
As guest of honor, President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Sardar Tahir Mehmood congratulated Chairman Pakistan-Africa Economic Council Shahbaz Ali Malik for convening the important gathering of policymakers, diplomats, business leaders and other stakeholders.
President ICCI called for a fundamental shift in Pakistan-Africa relations from traditional diplomatic engagement towards a comprehensive economic partnership focused on trade, investment, joint ventures, technology transfer and job creation.
He said Pakistan must build stronger economic bridges with Africa to diversify its export destinations and open new avenues for sustainable economic growth.
Sardar Tahir Mehmood said Pakistan had a competitive edge in a wide range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, textiles and garments, surgical and sports goods, rice and agricultural products, engineering goods, construction, IT, education and healthcare.
“A young entrepreneur in Islamabad should be able to build a business relationship with a young entrepreneur in Nairobi, Lagos, Kigali or Johannesburg without waiting for a traditional trade delegation,” he said, adding that digital connectivity could become a powerful new instrument of economic diplomacy.
President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) Usman Shoukat congratulated the organizers on the inauguration of PAEC and highlighted different aspects of Pakistan-Africa economic and trade ties.
President RCCI said that PAEC would be a milestone achievement in relations between Pakistan and African countries and that the platform was significant under the leadership of Ambassador Hamid Asgher Khan.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of Turkmenistan and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Islamabad Atadjan Movlam also paid tribute to the establishment of PAEC for increasing Africa-Pakistan economic and trade ties.
A cake-cutting ceremony was also held and shields were distributed at the end of the event.
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Gaps in demand estimates: Nepra chief calls for transparent power generation projections
ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Waseem Mukhtar has questioned ISMO, DISCOs and CPPA-G over significant variations in their demand projections, calling for a rational and transparent mechanism to align future generation capacity with prevailing and projected electricity demand while protecting consumers from unnecessary capacity costs.
In his additional note on the Integrated System Plan (ISP) 2025-35, approved by Nepra, the Chairman said concerns raised by various stakeholders regarding the risk of surplus generation capacity warranted serious consideration. However, according to him, ISMO failed to provide a satisfactory response to these concerns during the proceedings.
He said Pakistan’s power sector continued to face a structural challenge of surplus generation capacity, resulting in substantial capacity payments and an increasing cost burden on consumers.
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The situation, he noted, was further aggravated by declining electricity sales and lower utilisation of generation assets, which increased capacity charges on a per-unit basis.
According to the Chairman, the higher cost of grid electricity was consequently suppressing demand as consumers increasingly shifted towards comparatively cheaper alternative sources while retaining the grid primarily as a backup.
He termed this a self-reinforcing cycle in which declining grid demand leads to underutilisation of generation capacity, higher per-unit capacity costs and further migration away from the grid.
“This cycle is adversely affecting affordability, efficiency and long-term sustainability of the power sector,” he observed.
Mukhtar said that during a recent Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) hearing, ISMO had indicated that daylight electricity demand had declined to approximately 12,000 MW, broadly corresponding to generation from must-run plants.
In view of changing consumption patterns and the increasing reliance of consumers on alternative energy sources, he stressed the need for concerted measures to reduce the cost of grid electricity and restore its competitiveness. Such measures, he said, were necessary to encourage consumers to remain connected to and optimally utilise the national grid.
The Nepra Chairman also highlighted transmission constraints as another factor aggravating the problem, saying inadequate transmission capacity restricted evacuation of comparatively cheaper available electricity to load centres.
He called for transmission projects to be executed on a priority basis to facilitate efficient evacuation of low-cost generation.
However, he cautioned that such investments should remain appropriately aligned with prevailing and projected demand so that they did not create additional stranded or underutilised capacity.
Mukhtar said the ISP was intended to provide an integrated framework for generation and transmission expansion and should, therefore, also assess, to the extent reasonably practicable, the likely impact of proposed investments and capacity additions on end-consumer tariffs.
Incorporating such an assessment, he said, would facilitate more informed, holistic and economically sustainable power-sector planning.
The Chairman also raised questions over the treatment of projects previously categorised as “committed” under assumptions and criteria prescribed by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in 2021.
He noted that ISMO had excluded several projects from the IGCEP that had earlier been categorised as committed.
“Since then, the system scenario has evolved considerably, particularly with rising rooftop solar penetration and slowing demand growth,” he said.
According to Mukhtar, these developments warranted a rational and transparent mechanism for aligning upcoming generation capacity with prevailing and projected demand while safeguarding consumer interests.
He said committed projects should remain subject to clearly defined progress criteria and milestones.
Any project failing to demonstrate satisfactory progress within the stipulated timeframe, he added, should be excluded from the committed list after due diligence and completion of the relevant legal process, rather than being retained indefinitely.
The Chairman particularly cautioned against retaining projects where their continued inclusion could result in unnecessary generation capacity and associated costs for consumers.
He further called for all generation projects to be included in the ISP on the basis of merit-based and transparent criteria.
Mukhtar also questioned the consistency of assumptions and projections submitted by various stakeholders, saying the effectiveness of the ISP depended significantly on the reliability and consistency of such inputs.
During the review of the ISP, Distribution Investment Plan (DIP) and Power Price Projections (PPP), he said, significant variations had been observed in demand projections submitted by ISMO, DISCOs and CPPA-G.
He termed demand a fundamental planning assumption and warned that divergence among the projections undermined the certainty and robustness of the overall planning exercise.
Since future generation requirements were directly dependent on the demand outlook, he said, reasonable alignment and reconciliation of demand projections was essential for determining the appropriate quantum, timing and composition of required generation capacity.
He directed that subsequent iterations of the ISP should clearly identify and reconcile the assumptions underlying demand projections submitted by all relevant stakeholders.
The additional note by the Nepra Chairman comes at a critical juncture for Pakistan’s power sector, which is simultaneously dealing with excess generation capacity, rising capacity-related costs, declining grid demand, rapid rooftop solar adoption and constraints in transmitting cheaper electricity to major load centres.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
