Talking to newsmen here at Chaklala Air Base before leaving for China to attend Boao Forum, the Prime Minister said the Federal Government accepted the invitation of the Punjab Chief Minister to hold the energy conference in Lahore, who would be the host and termed it a positive sign.

Prime Minister Gilani said all the stakeholders should give their input at the conference because it was in the national interest to find a solution to the energy crisis.

He said the business community in Punjab was facing energy shortage and raising hue and cry on this issue, therefore, the province was selected for holding the energy conference.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has already directed the technical sub-committee of the Energy Committee to remove bottlenecks in import of Liquified Natural and Petroleum Gas, to help the country meet its energy needs.

On Friday, the Prime Minister said owing to the wrong policies of the previous governments, the present government inherited power shortage and the country was facing loadshedding.

Referring to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) initiated by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in 1994 during her first term the Prime Minister said she was criticized for this initiative.

Gilani said many corruption cases were made against Benazir Bhutto and the matter was taken to the courts and the investors in the IPP projects ran away from Pakistan that was another cause for energy shortage facing the country today.