The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed its hope that Pakistan would be able to overcome load shedding by 2018—A claim made by the government and yet many people are not sure about it. The bank, however, seems satisfied about government’s power policy. ADB Country Head Werner E Liepach who talked to a group of journalists said he was hopeful that Pakistan could end load shedding by 2018 provided the government continued its effort to achieve the goal. Werner E Liepach’s remarks have bolstered the image of the government as regards its promises to eliminate load-shedding. The ADB official sees things were moving in the right direction saying the capacity has increased and thus conditions have improved over the past few years. The bank, however, supported independent regulatory regime unlike the government which has put regulatory bodies under its control. He said the NEPRA was still independent in its decisions and an effective, efficient and independent regulatory regime helped the end consumer. The ADB has approved US$3 billion for the energy sector. The bank is providing $400 million for smart metering, which would improve efficiency of the companies. On privatisation of the DisCos, he said the ADB had asked for privatisation as it would increase efficiency, help reduce the circular debt and bring investment.