Finding support for power reform plan

The approval of Pakistan's private power and infrastructure board (PPIB) last week for the installation of a string of new power generation projects, may provide some relief to those concerned about the country's electricity shortages, but only a temporary one.

The recently-approved projects include a mix of those built on dual fuel - gas and thermal oil, in addition to newly-planned coal projects. The optimistic scenario may well be that once these projects come on line, the fear of power cuts known in Pakistan as 'load shedding' would at least be temporarily avoidable. That may be so, at least for now. But the long-term challenges to Pakistan's power sector remain unfulfilled.

Theoretically, the power shortages may well have been avoidable if indeed reforms to brutally cut down on power losses during transmission, would have made progress. By some accounts, such losses may be as high as 25 per cent or more across the transmission network run by Pakistan's state- owned Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).

The government's failure to adequately reform WAPDA provides an obvious example of a principal problem with General Pervez Musharraf's government. The General has often claimed success by way of overseeing a turnaround in Pakistan's economic trends. And yet, many ordinary Pakistanis have reason to lament the failure of the government to tackle some of the key issues that they face. In the case of the electricity system, ordinary Pakistanis continue to lament a range of issues from power cuts to the simple reality of corruption being a fact of life when it comes to mundane matters such as getting a new power connection installed.

There are also other elements of the official strategy which continue to pose pressing questions. For instance, Pakistan's present day government continues to take pride in pursuing plans for the installation of an ambitious new gas pipeline project from Iran to Pakistan and then onwards to India. While the US continues opposing the project on grounds that it would inject revenue into the Iranian economy, Pakistan's leaders claim they remain steadfast to the project as it is important for the national interest.

But a government such as Pakistan's present day regime remains closely wedded to promoting US interests in the country and its surrounding region. The case of actually going ahead with the IPI (Iran, Pakistan, India) therefore remains a central litmus test to gauging the official sincerity. If indeed such a gas supply channel is established, that may well benefit Pakistani consumers by way of providing a source of fuel that could be used by power generation companies, which is cheaper in price than oil.

Then, at least theoretically, Pakistan also remains committed to probing other sources of gas supply including the purchase of central Asian gas, transported through the largely barren terrain of Afghanistan.

But Pakistan's worsening diplomatic relations with its Afghan neighbours provide little reason for optimism on this front. As long as the Pakistani regime is regularly accused by the Afghan government and its western allies, for overseeing a return of the 'Taliban' movement, the diplomatic conditions on the Pak-Afghan front would remain surrounded with uncertainty.

The business of reform must be built upon widespread support from the public, especially when it's a matter as vital as overcoming the faults across the power sector. Tackling a challenge as profound as reducing the losses during power transmission, has to become a national cause before there can be broad based public support for such a venture.

- The writer is a journalist based in Pakistan.