Islamabad (Web Desk): Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Pakistan’s Minister for Power, highlighted the critical importance of regional collaboration, technological progress, and policy reforms to tackle global energy issues during his virtual speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Energy Ministers Conference on Thursday.
He pointed out Pakistan’s strategic location as a key energy corridor linking Central Asia, South Asia, and the Gulf region. Leghari urged the member countries to enhance cross-border energy trade, invest jointly in infrastructure projects, and develop coordinated energy systems.
The minister stressed the timely completion of the CASA-1000 project and called on Afghanistan to fully participate both as a transit route and energy consumer to help achieve regional energy integration and stability.
He discussed Pakistan’s ongoing reforms in the energy sector, moving beyond quick fixes towards sustainable, structural improvements. Leghari reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to reaching 60% renewable energy and 30% electric vehicle adoption by the year 2030.
To further strengthen cooperation within the SCO, the minister proposed five initiatives: setting up an SCO Energy Innovation Secretariat, launching a fellowship program for young researchers in energy, establishing joint demonstration projects in Pakistan for renewable and smart grid technologies, creating an online Energy Cooperation Dashboard for tracking progress, and forming a Project Prioritization Committee to focus on high-impact energy projects.
Leghari also revealed Pakistan’s forthcoming energy infrastructure investment plan, which will offer significant opportunities to global investors in a transparent and business-friendly environment.
He particularly invited investments in the country’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure rollout and expressed Pakistan’s eagerness to collaborate with SCO member states to convert shared energy ambitions into real-world benefits for the region.