ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $250 million loan for Pakistan that will help the South Asian country deliver reliable electricity by expanding and improving its power transmission network in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, the Bank said on Friday.
Pakistan has enough installed capacity to meet its demand for electricity, but the South Asian country lacks adequate resources and cannot afford to invest in new infrastructure and power lines, which often result in transmission losses.
In January this year, the country suffered a nationwide blackout due to a frequency failure in the national grid, which happened because of a major mismatch between demand and supply. It was the second nationwide shutdown in three months.
The ADB said the $250 million loan was part of its Power Transmission Strengthening Project to increase transmission capacity of Pakistan’s national grid by expanding high-voltage transmission network to close 500 kilovolt (kV) and 220 kV transmission line loops, and reduce transmission losses by replacing old transmission lines.
“Reliable power supply is essential to inclusive, sustainable economic growth, and it will also provide economic opportunities to rural communities,” said Yevgeniy Zhukov, ADB director-general for Central and West Asia.
“We are pleased to continue supporting Pakistan in its efforts to achieve energy security while improving energy efficiency.”
The project will complement ADB’s ongoing support to Pakistan’s National Transmission & Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) aimed at ensuring energy security, climate resilience, and increased transmission capacity to deploy sufficient, reliable, clean, and cost-effective energy, according to ADB.
Aside from strengthening power transmission, it will also enhance the project and financial management of NTDC as well as its capacity to incorporate climate resilience in planning and operations.
“To promote gender equality and women’s involvement in the energy sector, ADB will develop guidelines for mentorships, conduct awareness campaigns, establish childcare centers, and provide technical training to female staff in the NTDC,” ADB Senior Energy Specialist Takhmina Mukhamedova said.
“This project also includes livelihood skills development for women in the project areas to improve their economic opportunities, and training for local communities to enable them to respond to climate-induced natural hazards.”
Pakistan was a founding member of ADB. Since 1966, the bank has committed over $52 billion in public and private sector loans, grants, and other forms of financing to promote inclusive economic growth in Pakistan and improve the country’s infrastructure, energy and food security, transport networks, and social services.
ADB said it was committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. The bank, which was established in 1966, is owned by 68 members — 49 from the region.
ADB approves $250 million loan to help Pakistan improve power transmission
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ADB approves $250 million loan to help Pakistan improve power transmission
- Pakistan has faced transmission losses due to its inability to invest in new infrastructure and power lines
- The ADB loan will help the South Asian country reduce these losses by replacing old transmission lines
Death toll in Pakistan shopping plaza fire rises to 67, officials say
- Rescue teams still searching for damaged Gul Plaza in Karachi where blaze erupted on Saturday, says police surgeon
- Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi jumped to 67 on Thursday after police and a hospital official confirmed that the remains of dozens more people had been found.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said rescue teams were still searching the severely damaged Gul Plaza in the Karachi, where the blaze erupted on Saturday.
Most remains were discovered in fragments, making identification extremely difficult, but the deaths of 67 people have been confirmed, she said. Asad Raza, a senior police official in Karachi, also confirmed the death toll. Authorities previously had confirmed 34 deaths.
Family members of the missing have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital, even after providing their DNA for testing. Some have tried to enter the building forcibly, criticizing the rescue efforts as too slow.
“They are not conducting the search properly,” said Khair-un-Nisa, pointing toward the rescuers. She stood outside the building in tears, explaining that a relative who had left to go shopping has been missing since the blaze.
Another woman, Saadia Saeed, said her brother has been trapped inside the building since Saturday night, and she does not know what has happened to him.
“I am ready to go inside the plaza to look for him, but police are not allowing me,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from authorities about accusations they have been too slow.
Many relatives of the missing claim more lives could have been saved if the government had acted more swiftly. Authorities have deployed police around the plaza to prevent relatives from entering the unstable structure, while rescuers continue their careful search.
Investigators say the blaze erupted at a time when most shop owners were either closing for the day or had already left. Since then, the Sindh provincial government has said around 70 people were missing after the flames spread rapidly, fueled by goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and plastic items.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though police have indicated that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.
Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement, and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
