Automobile lobby obstructing EV policy for 'vested interests'

The Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) on Tuesday said some elements with ‘vested in terests’ were trying to sabotage the National Electric Vehicle Policy (NEVP), approved by the federal cabinet in November 2019.

An official alleged, “Deep-rooted’ auto mobile manufacturers’ lobby, in connivance with its few consolidators at the helm of af fairs, was active to scuttle the policy.

The MoCC official argued that there was no issue in defining the policy by the Ministry of Industries and Production however, around 40 per cent of the major world policies were spearheaded and housed in the climate min istries across the globe owing to the global focus on cutting air emissions.

He said the committee formed by the Eco nomic Coordination Committee to hold con sultations on the policy through relevant ministries was headed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industries Production Abdul Razak Dawood and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam was also its member.

“Most of the fuel-based cars produced in Pakistan are not up to the mark as they had euro-II engines installed in the vehicles and are also abusing the masses by selling them at hefty costs. The car that costs half a million rupees in India is sold for over a million ru pees in Pakistan and these also lacked road safety equipment and modern technology,” he regretted. He said Pakistan only has a 3 4 year window to cash in on the opportunity and be come a leading manufacturer of the right-hand drive EVs by 2023.

“If the time lapsed in just deciding the in centives package and policy domain then Pak istan will lose this opportunity and some other country will benefit through it. Like the com bustion engine, we will then become a net im porter of EVs only.”