Key Takeaways
- The Pakistani government has welcomed Turkish interest in privatising the country’s power distribution companies (DISCOs).
- A meeting between the Turkish Ambassador and the Federal Minister for Energy reviewed ongoing reforms and investment opportunities.
- The minister highlighted the completion of policy and institutional work for the privatisation process.
The government of Pakistan has expressed its welcome to Turkish investors interested in the privatisation of the country’s power distribution companies (DISCOs), as part of broader energy-sector cooperation with Türkiye.
During a meeting on Friday, Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Irfan Neziroglu and Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari discussed the progress of ongoing power-sector reforms and the privatisation process.
Leghari stated that the Power Division has completed the necessary policy, reform, and institutional work for the privatisation of DISCOs, and the formal process is being advanced through the relevant forum and the Privatisation Commission.
The minister emphasized the government’s commitment to comprehensive reforms aimed at improving the performance of the electricity distribution system, ensuring financial sustainability, and enhancing service delivery through effective private-sector participation.
He noted that energy cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye is already strong, with three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed during his visit to Türkiye, providing a framework for institutional cooperation in electricity markets, transmission, and distribution.
Leghari also invited Turkish investors to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s power sector, highlighting that bilateral cooperation is moving beyond the exchange of experience towards stronger institutional linkages, technical cooperation, and new investment.
The Turkish ambassador appreciated Pakistan’s ongoing power-sector reforms and measures to promote private-sector participation, expressing Turkish companies’ keen interest in investment opportunities in Pakistan’s energy sector.
He stated that Turkish companies’ participation in the DISCOs privatisation process would further strengthen economic ties between the two countries and reaffirmed his commitment to promoting institutional cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye.
