Leading Pakistani industrialist and entrepreneur Mian Muhammad Mansha said he is considering buying the Neelum-Jhelum Project which is estimated to produce electricity that would cost 14.5 cents per unit, according to media reports on Friday. Speaking at a workshop on the upcoming polls organised by Media Advocacy Centre (MAC) the other day, Mansha said he was approached by the government to invest in the said project after funds provided by the Asian Development Bank fell short of the required capital. He said he had declined the offer because he did not consider investing in government projects a wise idea. However, when he was offered the option of buying the whole project, he said he would consider it and will initiate a serious discussion on the deal within a couple of months. Terming power shortage the biggest issue facing Pakistan, he said the country needed to work its way out of it as soon as possible using all means available such as alternate fuels for thermal energy, wind, solar and run-of-the-river hydel projects instead of going for construction of massive dams. Talking about the state of affairs in Pakistan and the direction in which he believed they were moving, he said social protection provided by the free media and the independent judiciary caused a paradigm shift in Pakistan for the better which needed continuity.
