ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, on Wednesday vowed to make Islamabad Pakistan’s first city where transport will be fully electric.

While addressing a press conference here in Islamabad, the Fawad Chaudhry said that federal government will import 120 electric buses this year and local assembling of battery powered buses will start next year.

“Electric buses will operate in Pakistan this year as the government is all set to import 120 buses,” said Fawad and added that domestic manufacturing of these buses will start in three year time.

Commenting over the industrial and medical use of hemp, locally known as bhang, the science and technology minister said that government has identified Peshawar, Jhelum and Chakwal as sites for the cultivation of hemp.

Last month, Fawad Chaudhry had announced that battery-powered electric buses would operate in Pakistan from this year.

He said this after the signing ceremony of a strategic alliance agreement between Daewoo Pakistan Express Bus Service Limited and Skywell Automobile (Chinese firm) to set up an Electric Vehicles value chain in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that vehicles in Pakistan to be shifted on electric power as the country approved its first-ever Electric Vehicle (EV) policy in June.