Importing electricity from Tajikistan: PMKM opposes proposed agreement

Pakistan Muthida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) Chairman Muhammad Ayub Khan Mayo opposing the proposed agreement of importing electricity from Tajikistan has termed it against the national interest. He said that the government should take advantage of our available water resources and construct Hydel projects to generate cheaper electricity.
According to him Pakistan has the capacity to produce 40,000 mw of electricity by utilising its water resources and itself is in a position to export 25,000 mw of electricity if all the proposed Hydel power projects are constructed. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mayo alleged that some people were trying to get commission by entering into such agreements. He said that electricity imported under this agreement would be much expensive as Pakistan had to bear all the transmission cost and line losses.
He said that there would be around 782 kilometers long transmission line from Tajikistan to Pakistan out of which 572 kilometers would be from Peshawar. He questioned that who would be responsible for any disturbance occurred to this transmission line in war-torn Afghanistan. Mayo claimed that the electricity imported through this project would cost Rs 30 per unit in next three years. He said that Pakistan was getting cheapest electricity through its Hydel projects as electricity produced from Mangla was costing 80 paisa per unit while from Tarbela it was costing only Rs 1.30 per unit. He also claimed that this project would take eight years for completion while any of the Hydel projects, whose PC-I were already in place could be constructed within two years if started constructing today. He said that our total requirement of electricity was only from 15,500 mw to 16,500 mw while our installed capacity including of thermal power projects was around 23,000 mw.
PMKM Chief said that they would be launching a movement against this project and against the water reservoirs and dams being constructed by India on all the rivers in violation of Indus Basin Water Treaty. He said that they had also formed another committee called Pakistan Water and Power Action Committee to raise this issue in urban areas with PMKM would be agitating in rural areas.
He said that soon both these organisations would running a movement in collaboration with lawyers, teachers, students and all other segments of the society against Indian water aggression and also to press the Pakistani government for initiating work on Hydel power projects.