ISLAMABAD    -    Minister for Power Division Khurram Dastgir Khan on Mon­day said that Thar Coal was the future of Pakistan and can fulfil the electricity demand of the country.

Winding up the discus­sion on motion moved by the Senator Taj Haider to discuss failure to tap into true poten­tial of Thar Coal inordinate delay in construction of sec­ond transmission line and Islamkot-Chor Railway line that has left national grid deprived of affordable elec­tricity and many coal power plants reliant on expensive imported coal.

Sharing the details of Thar Coal project, the minister said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with for­mer President Asif Ali Zardari had laid down the foundation of Thar Coal project in 2014 and extended it by establish­ing four more plants in 2015 and 2016 with total number of five plants.

He said that 2640 mega watt electricity was being produced from Thar Coal Power Plants. He also criticised the gov­ernmnt of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for delaying completetion of these projects. PTI govrn­ment had an anti-development agenda, he added.