ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called for supportive global policies to enable cash-strapped developing countries to navigate energy transition at an event Islamabad co-sponsored to commemorate the ‘International Day of Clean Energy’ at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.
The International Day of Clean Energy, observed on January 26 each year, is a UN-designated day to raise awareness and encourage action toward a transition to clean energy sources for the benefit of people and the planet.
The event at the UN headquarters was organized by the “Group of Friends of Energy,” an informal coalition of member states that actively collaborate and advocate for policies and initiatives focused on promoting sustainable energy access and development on a global scale.
“Developing countries with limited fiscal space are unable to invest in costly energy projects without enhanced access to finance,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, told delegates this week.
“On this International Day of Clean Energy, we must commit to taking the necessary actions, at both national and international level, to achieve our global energy transition goals.”
Analysts say increasing climate threats have accelerated the clean energy policies and big tickets investments that are needed to transition to renewable energy, especially wind and solar energy, around the world.
Fossil fuels are the largest contributor to climate change, accounting for 75 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations. The world must slash greenhouse emissions 45 percent by 2030 to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above late-19th-century levels. Warming beyond that threshold, scientists warn, could push Earth toward an unlivable hothouse state.
Pakistan is among the countries most affected by climate change, while its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is less than 1 percent, according to Pakistani officials. The South Asian country suffered from deadly deluges in 2022, which were blamed on unprecedented monsoon rains and glacier melts due to climate change. The floods killed more than 1,700 Pakistan, affected 33 million and caused more than $30 million losses.
Ambassador Jadoon said developing countries were dedicated to making their contribution to the just energy transition, with Pakistan having committed to increasing the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to 60 percent by 2030.
“We plan on adding an additional 13,000MW [megawatts] of hydro-power capacity by 2030,” he said.
However, Pakistan’s energy transition goals were estimated to cost over $100 billion, the Pakistani envoy said, pointing out that capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius would require $150 trillion investments globally in transition technologies and infrastructure by 2050.
“Undoubtedly, partnerships are essential to aid developing countries in overcoming these obstacles,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday reiterated his demand for overseas Pakistanis to boycott sending remittances to the country, amid renewed political tensions between his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government. 

The development takes place as talks between the government and the PTI that began last month broke down this week. Talks were suspended after Khan’s party told the government it would not partake in the process if judicial commissions to investigate anti-government protests of May 9, 2023 and November 2024 are not formed. 

On May 9, 2023, angry Khan supporters are accused of rampaging through military offices and installations while on Nov. 26, 2024, they gathered in Pakistan’s capital to demand Khan’s release. The government says four troops were killed in the November protests while the PTI says its supporters also died in clashes. 

Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar this week criticized the PTI for ending talks “unilaterally,” saying the party took the decision in a hurry. The government’s negotiation committee says it will respond to the PTI’s demands formally on Jan. 28. 

“Once again, I urge overseas Pakistanis to continue their boycott of foreign currency remittances,” a post on Khan’s X account read. “Sending money to this government strengthens the very hands that are tightening the noose around your necks.”

Foreign workers’ remittances from countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, US, UK and others are important for cash-strapped Pakistan to shore up its foreign reserves and stabilize its fragile economy. 

Khan also repeated his demand for supporters to mark Pakistan’s election anniversary on Feb. 8 as a “Black Day.” The PTI alleges that the results of the contentious election last year, marked by delayed vote results and suspension of Internet and mobile services countrywide, were manipulated by the caretaker government at the time and Pakistan’s election commission to keep it away from power. Both deny Khan’s allegations 

“Prepare to observe a nationwide ‘Black Day’ on February 8th,” the post read. “People from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab should gather in Swabi for protests, while others must hold demonstrations in their respective cities.”

Khan was ousted from power in 2022 after what is widely believed to be a falling out with the country’s powerful top generals. The army denies it interferes in politics.

He has been in prison since August 2023 and faces a slew of legal challenges that ruled him out of the Feb. 8 general elections and which he says are politically motivated to keep him and his party away from power. 

Khan has either been acquitted or his sentences have been suspended in most cases. However, in the latest blow, Khan was handed a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case last week. 

All cases against Khan have been tried inside prison, away from the public or media eye, on security grounds.