Houston, 28 January 2023 (TDI): The Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States (US), Masood Khan virtually attended a session called “Pakistan’s energy and water security landscape” as a keynote speaker.
The session was organized by the Baker Institute of Rice University Houston. During the session, Masood Khan shed light on how Pakistan was working closely with the US to unlock a climate-resilient ecosystem.
US policymakers, members of the think-tank community, intelligentsia, and area experts participated in the discussion.
Remarks by Masood Khan
The Envoy talked about the ‘Green Alliance and Climate Smart Agriculture.’ He said, “The project would benefit farmers and create a framework for conserving water, building small dams, and improving yields.”
“We will leverage the Pakistan-US partnership to transition to renewables, water conservation, and efficient use of water.” Khan continued. The Ambassador highlighted the steps taken by Pakistan to make the country climate resilient.
Along these lines, Khan reiterated, “With the help of the international financial institutions, we have initiated reforms for water conservation. The country is transitioning to modern agricultural technologies, re-afforestation, waste-water management, and water metering.”
Masood Khan also stressed how Pakistan is taking consistent steps to improve its power generation through the diversification of its energy mix. The country is fully cognizant of the serious challenges being faced in the fields of energy and water security.
While noting the power generation of Pakistan, Khan said, “In the past decade, Pakistan had commissioned more than 10GW of new power generation and 1GW of wind and solar power-based projects. However, the gap is still very wide and in need of bridging.”
Also read: Youth & professionals vital link for future Pakistan-US relations: Masood Khan
“We need to further diversify our energy mix and decrease our dependence on oil and gas imports by focusing on indigenous resources.” The Envoy noted.
Talking about the recent floods faced by Pakistan, he stated, “Pakistan contributes less than 0.4 % of the global emissions but it is the 8th most vulnerable country to climate change.”
Partnership in the agriculture & energy sector
Masood Khan pointed out the solid foundations of the Pak-US partnership in the agriculture, water, and energy sectors. In this vein, he said, “What we value most is the growing interest of the US private sector in these areas through the US International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC).”
The Ambassador emphasized the importance of a fair and just distribution of waters under the Indus Waters Treaty. It is as critical to energy and water security as well as regional stability.
“Building several dams on the rivers under Indian control eroded trust and creates crises for Pakistan that included flooding, water scarcity, and disruption of energy supplies. There is a need to resolve such outstanding issues as soon as possible.” Masood Khan concluded.
, Masood Khan virtually attended a session called “Pakistan’s energy...(Read more)){kind=link}