Islamabad: Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari has emphasized the urgent need for regional cooperation, technological advancement, and policy reforms to address global energy challenges. He delivered these remarks while virtually addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Energy Ministers Conference on Thursday.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Minister highlighted Pakistan’s strategic geographic role as a regional energy bridge linking Central Asia, South Asia, and the Gulf. He called for enhancing cross-border trade, investing in shared infrastructure, and developing joint frameworks for energy systems. Awais stressed the importance of the timely completion of the CASA-1000 project and urged Afghanistan’s full participation, both as a transit and off-take country, to ensure regional energy integration and stability.

He further emphasized Pakistan’s ongoing energy sector transformation, moving from short-term fixes to long-term structural reforms. The Minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to achieving 60 percent renewable energy and 30 percent electric vehicle penetration targets by 2030.

Awais proposed five initiatives to strengthen collaboration under the SCO, including establishing an SCO Secretariat for Energy Innovation, an Energy Innovation Fellowship Program for young researchers, joint demonstration sites in Pakistan for renewable and smart grid technologies, a web-based Energy Cooperation Dashboard for project monitoring, and a Project Prioritization Committee to focus efforts on high-impact initiatives.

He also announced Pakistan’s upcoming energy infrastructure investment plan, which will offer opportunities to international partners, supported by a transparent and investor-friendly environment. Awais specifically invited investment in the nationwide rollout of Advanced Metering Infrastructure, affirming Pakistan’s readiness to work with all SCO members to turn shared energy goals into practical solutions that benefit the region.