ISLAMABAD: Energy Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari on Monday urged officials to conduct a public, media-witnessed balloting to distribute solar panels under the 100-megawatt federal solarisation initiative for Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
The minister’s instructions came during a Steering Committee meeting he chaired to review progress on the prime minister’s solar programme for the region. The project has two components: solar plants to be installed near existing power infrastructure to stabilise electricity supply, and panels to be distributed directly to households for individual power generation.
Officials at the meeting, reviewed the transport of panels from Karachi to the remote northern territory and assessed public applications for the solar systems. Leghari instructed authorities to ensure the balloting process is fully transparent, fair and consistent with principles of equal opportunity, saying the balloting must be held in the presence of journalists and community representatives to build public confidence in the distribution.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the initiative in November 2024 as part of a broader federal effort to supply electricity to several districts across GB, which has long suffered chronic power shortages that officials say have discouraged investment and deepened public frustration.
The 100-MW project is among the government’s special development initiatives aimed at easing the region’s energy deficit and supporting economic activity across the remote Himalayan territory.
