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Net Metering: An Alternate Source of Power for 

Electricity Consumers?

86

April - June 2016

Electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) in

Pakistan lack the capacity so far to provide net

energy metering facility – which allows

residential and commercial customers who

generate their own electricity from solar power

to feed electricity they do not use back into thegrid – despite the approval of NEPRA

regulations in this regard in September last year.

This was highlighted in a roundtable session

titled: ‘Net Metering: An Alternate Source of

Power for Electricity Consumers?’ held at IPS

on Jaunary 19, 2016. However it was hoped

that the required tactical and resource

planning to facilitate this modern approach

towards solving the country’s energy crisis

would be carried out in a few months.

The need to popularize and incentivize the useof solar technology for electricity generation in

households across the country was also

stressed to benefit from net metering

technology on a large scale.

Military Chaplaincy in Comparative Perspective

IPS organized a video-conferencing session on

the topic of ‘Military Chaplaincy in Comparative

Perspective’ with Professor Torkel Brekke of the

University of Oslo on February 17, 2016.

Dr. Brekke is studying the frameworks and

arrangements that various military organizations

around the world have adopted to take care of

religious needs of their personnel.

The research reiterated the worth and

DG-IPS’ Lectures in Oslo, Norway

DG-IPS Khalid Rahman visited Oslo, Norway on

the invitation of the Department of Cultural

Studies and Oriental Languages, University ofOslo, from January 11-15, 2016 where he

delivered a presentation on January 12, 2016 on

"Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Islam

and Pakistan”.

Continued on Page 03

Continued on Page 02 

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The first quarter of 2016 witnessed enhanced

focus on Energy, Pak-China Relations, and

Security issues among the priority areas of

IPS.

Under the IPS Tawanai (Energy) program a

report with key recommendations following a

seminar on NEPRA’s net-metering regulationsand their implementation status was

developed for concerned departments and

stakeholders.

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

naturally is the main debate vis-à-vis

Pak-China relations currently. DG-IPS

participated in two different conferences and

presented papers on the subject.

The research program at IPS on nuclear

issues has produced a number of seminarsand conferences in the recent past. The first

issue of 2016 of the Institute’s flagship journal

Policy Perspectives has been exclusively

published on the theme of ‘Nuclear South Asia

and Strategic Stability’.

The lecture tour of DG-IPS to Oslo, Norway,

on the invitation of University of Oslo, and the

US visit of IPS Lead Coordinator to participate

in the annual convention of International

Studies Association (ISA) were important

highlights of the quarter, too.

 A joint publishing project of IPS Press with

University of Karachi’s Bureau of Composition,

Compilation & Translation (BCC&T)

culminated with three titles hitting the shelves:

Mazhab aur Daur-e-Jadeed, Islami

Falsafa-e-Hayat  and Islami Nizam-e-Hayat .

This series is a revised version in modern

Urdu language of the classic Islami

Nazariya-e-Hayat  by IPS founding chairman,

Professor Khurshid Ahmad published in 1963,

several editions of which have been printed

since then.

The 38th issue of IPS’ periodical

Nuqta-e-Nazar , edited by Dr Safir Akhtar, was

also published during the reported period.

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 A paper contributed by IPS exclusively for the

academic event was presented at the 3rd

National Maritime Seminar themed 'China –

Pakistan Economic Corridor: it’s Maritime

Implications for Pakistan', organized by Pakistan

Navy’s National Centre for Maritime Policy

Research (NCMPR), Bahria University, Karachi

on January 21, 2016.

The paper titled “The Socio-Political andDiplomatic Implications of the China–Pakistan

Economic Corridor (CPEC)”, was authored by

DG-IPS Khalid Rahman and presented in the

seminar by Commodore Dr. M Ihsan Qadir

SI(M).

The discourse highlighted a number of social,

political and diplomatic implications of CPEC

that China and Pakistan could face, maintaining

that while the initiative was a bilateral one, the

venture ultimately would benefit not only the twocountries but actually the whole region.

“The Socio-Political and Diplomatic Implications

of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)”

DG-IPS’ Lectures

in Oslo, Norway

During the lecture he stressed on creating a

conducive environment to attain SDGs by

devising favorable policy frameworks and

legislation while taking into account factors like

local culture, religious beliefs, etc.

He also shared a research paper on the same

topic, maintaining that while the piece was

written in reference to Pakistani society, its

application, albeit with slight adjustments, would

remain equally valid for other Muslim societies

as well.

In another session during the same trip, he

addressed a seminar hosted by NUPI

(Norwegian Institute of International Affairs) on

January 14, 2016 on the topic of “The Crises in

the Middle East, Pakistan and Islam”.

Shedding light on the recent developments in

the Middle East, he explained Pakistan’sapproach towards the current crises and

deliberated upon different policy options

available for the country in this regard.

Fifth batch of Chinese

language course

Presentation on CPEC

at Preston University

In continuation of its series of programs to

teach Chinese to Pakistani professionals,

entrepreneurs and students, IPS LEAD started

its fifth four-month Chinese Language Course

(CLC) from Jan 9, 2016. Facilitated by native

teachers possessing rich experience of

teaching Chinese as a foreign language, the

course will impart basic and post basic skills of

the language to the participants.

DG-IPS Khalid Rahman was invited at PrestonUniversity, Islamabad, for a talk on China

Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on March

15, 2016, where he gave a presentation titled“CPEC – All Weather Friendship and the

Changing War Dynamics”.

The session was attended by a number offaculty members and students of the university.

Study on Somalis livingin Pakistan

 Abdullahi Abdi Rashid, a Somali intern at IPS,

presented his study on Somali refugees living

in Pakistan on the completion of his temporary

attachment with the Institute on March 29,

2016.

The presentation was attended by DG-IPS

Khalid Rahman and IPS' research team along

with a select group of the Institute's

associates.

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Net Metering:

An Alternate Source...The session was chaired by Mirza Hamid

Hassan, former federal secretary and

chairman of IPS’ Tawanai (energy)

program, and addressed by Mazhar Iqbal

Ranjha, director, Standard Department,

NEPRA, Wajid Ali Kazmi, chief engineer

planning, IESCO, Faiz Muhammad

Bhutta, member, Energy Committee,

Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC).

among other experts. It was attended by a

number of energy experts, government

officials, academia and industry

representatives.

 A few participants called for introducing

one-window solutions for net metering

application procedures and also raised

questions over some ambiguities in the

NEPRA regulations as the net metering

technology was already being employed

in a number of countries across the world

and, according to them, Pakistan could

simply study and follow their best

practices instead of trying to reinvent the

wheel.

IPS represented in ISA Convention in Atlanta

Lead Coordinator Irfan Shahzad visited the US

and participated in the 57th Annual Convention

of the International Studies Association (ISA)

held in Atlanta, March 16-19, 2016.

He chaired the convention’s panel on “China

and Russia: Interactions and Comparisons in

History and International Relations.”

He also visited Washington D.C. and held

fruitful exchanges with officials, academics and

media persons. Meetings with representatives

of Pakistani diaspora were also part of the visit.

Establishing PPCC: MoU signed for research

collaboration on SDGs

Founding Director 

IBA-CIES meets

DG-IPS

 Ahmed Ali Siddqui, Founding Director of IBA

Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance

(CIES) visited IPS on Febrauary 19, 2016.

He had a detailed meeting with DG-IPS Khalid

Rahman on the current situation of Islamic

finance in Pakistan vis-à-vis government

policies and the regulatory environment.

 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was

signed between Institute of Policy Studies

(IPS) and Sustainable Development Centre

(SDC) – now Institute for Sustainable

Development (ISD) – on February 1, 2015, for

collaboration in research, publications, training

and policy seminars vis-à-vis development

studies, especially the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs) and their

implications for Pakistan.

The MoU signing ceremony took place in the

first meeting of the ad-hoc committee of the

newly formed Pakistan Panel for Climate

Change (PPCC) – an alliance of civil society

organizations, academia, industry and other

stakeholders with a view to providing

science-based thought leadership to public

and private sector in the country to cope up

with climate change challenges. The

document was signed by Khalid Rahman,

Director General IPS and Abdul Latif Rao,Executive Director, ISD.

Continued on Page 04

IPS encourages interaction with different national and international organizations

last quarter is being presented here.

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Military Chaplaincy...

Establishing PPCC: MoU

signed for research

collaboration on SDGs

Session with Ulema

 A delegation of ulema (Islamic scholars) visited

IPS on January 7, 2016, as part of an

exposure trip organized by Da’wah Academy,

International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The delegates, who hailed from all across

Pakistan, were briefed about the history and

activities of IPS by senior research coordinator

Syed Nadeem Farhat.

The session’s participants showed keen

interest in the work done by IPS on Islam,

especially the Institute's publications pertaining

to the subject and its training programs for

madrassah students. They also had a heart to

heart discussion upon various topics of mutual

interest such as education, regional scenario,

and the eloquent role that ulema can play for

the betterment of society.

CIMA roundtable on

Islamic finance

curriculumIPS was represented by Naufil Shahrukh, the

head of the Institute's outreach and program

manager IPS LEAD, in a consultation meeting

of CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management

Accountants) on January 20, 2016 in

Islamabad.

It was attended by a select gathering of

experts and stakeholders to deliberate upon

the proposed curriculum of CIMA’s courses on

Islamic finance.

Int’l Youth Forum

delegation A three-member Turkish delegation

representing International Youth Forumincluding its executive board members M.

Mustafa Bacak and Abdullah Usame Budak

visited IPS on March 4, 2015.

The visitors had a detailed meeting with DG-IPS

Khalid Rahman and took special interest in IPS

LEAD and its youth development trainingsdiscussing possibilities of future collaboration

and youth exchange programs between Turkeyand Pakistan.

It may be mentioned that in a bid to addresspresent and future requirements of climate

change related development and governance agenda in Pakistan, IPS has become a founding

member of the alliance initiated by ISD.

The first stakeholders’ consultative workshop

of the PPCC was held on 13 January, 2016 at

Institute of Policy Studies in which an adhoc

committee, comprising seven members and a

convener, was constituted and entrusted by

the plenary.

The adhoc committee’s first meeting held at

SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry

secretariat in Islamabad was chaired by Prof.

Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, head of

environmental science department atInternational Islamic University, Islamabad

(IIUI). The second meeting was hosted by Aga

Khan Development Network (AKDN) on 16

February 2016 and the third at Federation of

Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry

(FPCCI) office on 2 March 2016.

03

01

Andrew Small visits IPS

 Andrew Small, Transatlantic Fellow with

German Marshall Fund of the US and author

of the book The China-Pakistan Axis: Asia's

New Geopolitics, visited IPS on January 12,2016.

The visiting scholar held a meeting with Irfan

Shahzad, Lead Coordinator, IPS and Rashida

Hameed, coordinator of the Institute’s China

Program.

significance of religion in human lives and

underscored the need to be acknowledge and

taken care of. It was also felt that role of chaplains

in public institutions was expanding in scope and

effectiveness and has generally emerged as a

peace-builder. The session was chaired by

Professor Dr Anis Ahmad, vice chancellor, Riphah

International University and member IPS-National

 Academic Council.

and scholars to share their studies and exchange views on subjects of mutual interest. A glimpse of such interactions in the

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Shahrah-e-Waqt pe Kamyabi ka Safar 

IPS LEAD – the Learning, Excellence and

Development Program of IPS – launched a

book by renowned author, life coach and

chartered accountant Muhammad Basheer

Juma titled Shahrah-e-Waqt pe Kamyabi ka

Safar  (The Journey of Success on the

Highway of Time) on March 26, 2016, by

organizing his workshop on time

management.

The event, attended by a number of students

and young professionals, was also addressed

by DG-IPS Khalid Rahman.

BRSP’s exposure visits

 As part of their two-day exposure trip to

Islamabad, a 15-member delegation of female

teachers and Balochistan Rural Support

Programme (BRSP) officials from Quetta and

Pishin districts of Balochistan visited IPS on

March 2, 2016. The trip was arranged by BRSP

and facilitated by IPS LEAD - the learning,

excellence and development program of the

Institute.

In an interactive motivational session withDG-IPS Khalid Rahman the delegates

debated various roles that Pakistani women,

especially female teachers, can play towards

the betterment of the society and

nation-building.

In addition to the session at the Institute, IPS

LEAD also organized two more sessions forBRSP delegates: 1. An exposure trip to the

National Commission for Human Development

(NCHD) where they visited the NationalLiteracy Resource Centre before being briefed

about the organization's activities by Habibullah

Khan, national literacy coordinator, NCHD, and2. A session titled 'Educational Leadership' held

at AIMS Education System which was impartedby its teacher trainer, Nazish Rafique.

 Youth Delegation: Earlier, an exposure visit

on February 16 & 17, 2016 of around 30

students and education department officials

from Pishin and Quetta on the request of

BRSP.

The first session of their two-day visit of

Islamabad was held at IPS featuring two lively

sessions conducted by DG-IPS Khalid

Rahman and youth trainer Nisar Moosa.

IPS LEAD also arranged the delegation’s visitto International Islamic University, Islamabad

(IIUI) where an interactive session with its

Rector, Dr Masoom Yasinzai, took place. A

visit and orientation session at Riphah

International University was organized for the

group.

Students from Thatta A delegation comprising 36 students from districts

Thatta and Sajawal of Sindh visited IPS on March

11, 2016. They were introduced to the history and

activities of the Institute and also attended an

inspiring mentoring session delivered by DG-IPS

Khalid Rahman on life skills and leadership. The

group was visiting the federal capital to attend the

23rd Islamic Orientation Program, organized by

Da'wah Academy, International Islamic University,Islamabad (IIUI).

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‘Nuclear South Asia and Strategic Stability’ is

the theme of the latest issue – a special

edition – of IPS’ flagship journal Policy

Perspectives.

The special edition of Policy Perspectives 

covers assorted topics concerning nuclear

South Asia and the strategic stability and

keeps up with the journal’s tradition of

presenting diverse perspectives on evolving

regional and global scenarios.

The first article ‘Strategic Ambiguities in IndianNuclear Doctrine: Implications for Pakistan’s

Security’, by Umar Hayat Luk from Institute of

Peace and Conflict

Studies (NIPCONS),

National University of

Science and Technology

(NUST), Islamabad,

critically examines the

broad contours of India's

nuclear doctrine and

traces the consequences

on the security calculusof Pakistan.

The second article

‘Pakistan’s Nuclear

Program: The Context’ is

authored by Air Cdre (r)

Khalid Iqbal, former

senior officer of Pakistan

 Air Force and member

IPS-National Academic

Council.

The next piece‘Deterrence in Indo-Pak Context: A Critical

 Appraisal’ by Ahmad Khan, Department of

Strategic Studies, National Defense University

(NDU), Islamabad, and Ali Ahsan, post

graduate student, International Relations

Department, NDU, Islamabad, stresses India

and Pakistan to maintain rational

decision-making to ensure the credibility of

their deterrence and to achieve the objective

of maintaining stability.

‘The Changing Contours of Minimum

Deterrence in South Asia’ is contributed by Dr

Zafar Khan, assistant professor, Department of

Strategic Studies, NDU, Islamabad, who

stresses that the unjust attitudes of

international community favoring one side

against the other, the absence of criteria

based approach, and the strategic pressure on

Pakistan pulling it into arms competition

undermines the dynamics of minimum

deterrence and strategic stability in South

 Asia.

The Implications of Indian Ballistic MissileDefence (BMD) and the Cruise Missiles in

South Asia on the region’s strategic stability

are discussed in next two articles by Ibrahim

 Anjum, Ph.D. scholar,

NDU, Islamabad, and

Kulsoom Belal, assistant

research coordinator,

IPS.

 Another article by Asim

 Ahmed, Ph.D. scholar,

NDU, evaluates Tactical

Nuclear Weapons(TNWs) on a conceptual

platform, examining the

role of India’s Cold Start

Doctrine/Proactive

Military Strategy and

Pakistan’s embryonic

concept of TNWs in

deterrence stability and

instability in South Asia.

The last piece is by

Muhammad Umar,

assistant professor, School of Sciences andHumanities, NUST, Islamabad, titled ‘Nasr: A

Product of Pakistan’s Strategic Culture.

It is also pertinent to mention that the

bi-annual peer-reviewed journaldisseminates the research carried out by the

IPS and its associates. The journal is also

available online through Pluto Journals onJSTOR (www.jstor.org) and on Factiva and

affiliated international databases through

 Asianet-Pakistan. It is recognized by theHigher Education Commission (HEC) in Y

category.

Islami Nazariya-e-HayatSeries (The Islamic Vision of Life)

Nuqta-e-Nazar (38th Issue)

This series of books is a revised version inmodern Urdu language of the classic Islami

Nazariya-e-Hayat by Professor Khurshid Ahmad published in 1963, several editions ofwhich have been published since then.

The work succinctly presents all aspects of theIslamic vision of life in such a way that draws a

map of the whole Islamic system, its

conceptions and applications in the readers’mind, enabling them to comprehend Islam with

all its insights and requisites.

The set comprises three parts:1. Mazhab aur Daur-e-Jadeed  (Religion and

the Modern Era)

2. Islami Falsafa-e-Hayat  (Islamic Philosophyof Life)

3. Islami Nizam-e-Hayat  (Islamic System of

Life)The main addressee of the book is the Muslim

youth. The work aims that, on one hand, they

could clearly understand the elementaryteachings of Islam and the arguments that

prove its truthfulness and probity, while on the

other, they could spread the message of Islamacross the world.

The 38th issue of

Nuqta-e-Nazar  is now

published. Being brought

out diligently by senior

IPS associate Dr Safir   Akhtar for more than last

19 years, the bi-annual

 journal provides in-depth

reviews and

commentaries on Urdu

books, especially on thetopics of Islam and

Policy Perspectives - Vol 13, No 1

Pakistan.