Daily Times

That Pakistan languishes in the eye of a perfect energy storm has been an open secret for quite some time. While the crux of the debate about a highly unreliable service, that too, at unprecedented high costs, keeps pointing fingers at the existence of Independent Power Producers, which have lately become the ultimate boogeyman, the lawmakers cannot avoid the ongoing catastrophes in the name of finding a way through the financial and legal quagmire.

A Sindh Assembly session on Monday revealed a tragic development as yet another manifestation of the present electricity crisis: almost 81 industrial units were forced to shut down operations in the last five years. Of this, the closure of 10 textile mills and one cement factory highlighted a deep recession engulfing some of the most critical industrial sectors in the country. Similar fears are palpable in other provinces where even if the authorities claim to extend cooperation to industrialists, the present mix of inconclusive policies is not enough to yield substantial results.

Take, for instance, a fast-budding wave of euphoria over Pakistan’s textile industry eyeing the gulf in the apparel market in the wake of shifting Bengal winds. However, skyrocketing power tariffs render the players uncompetitive when compared to India, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Suffering from a double whammy indeed, the state is equally confused in its efforts to juggle plans to sustain exports with course-correcting pressures from the IMF. It might help to divert the attention away from the complex realities by simplifying the equation and waving placards against IPPs. Even if some miracle helps the negotiators hit the bull’s eye and the government manages to tread a least-radioactive path, inefficiencies in bill recovery coupled with widespread electricity theft would still persist, throwing a spanner in the works of every potential solution.

Pakistan is in no position to stomach politicised movements to put the cart before the horse. Yes, a stable and efficient energy sector cannot be emphasised enough as essential for stimulating GDP growth. Still, that sector can only be resuscitated with the help of holistic reforms, not petting scapegoating. *