Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that progress on the Thar Coal Project was an important milestone in the development of country’s indigenous energy resources, and hoped that China’s Sino Coal Co. would complete the task. The prime minister welcomed Sino Coal to carry forward the project and assured that the government would remove all impediments related to its execution. He said Pakistan was currently facing a grave energy crisis and hoped that with Chinese technical assistance and expertise, Pakistan would be able to overcome the power issue. Gilani said the government was focusing on coal-based power generation in addition to hydro and thermal power for overcoming the energy deficit, adding that the Thar coal reserves would be used in ridding the country of load-shedding.
