ISLAMABAD, Aug 08 (INP): Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a meeting on energy sector at PM Office on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Power, Abid Sher Ali, Minister of State for Petroleum, Jam Kamal Khan and senior officials. Secretary Power Division and Secretary Petroleum Division briefed the Prime Minister on energy sector projects and load management plan. While elaborating the rationale of distribution of work among ministries, the Prime Minister stated that water security is an important concern for the government and people of Pakistan. A dedicated ministry for water resources was required to handle these issues and to cater for improved management of water resources, a separate ministry was essential, added the Prime Minister. As regards the creation of new Ministry of Energy, the Prime Minister stated that it was necessary to remove firewalls between the Petroleum and Power sectors which are otherwise linked for a common objective of energy security in Pakistan. The Prime Minister directed Power Division and Petroleum Division to formulate roadmap to reduce usage of thermal power sources and instead focus on natural gas and domestic coal for energy production. Our government is striving to achieve a balanced mix for the country’s energy requirements. Maximum utilization of Thar coal reserves should be ensured to provide affordable energy for consumers, further directed the PM. The Prime Minister directed the Water Resource Division to work on planning for water storage projects on fast track. “There is no room for non-optimal solution in our energy framework”, emphasized the PM. The Prime Minister reiterated the commitment that measures for eliminating load-shedding are on track and our focus is ensuring a bright future for Pakistan. INP/AJ