Islamabad, Aug 17 - Pakistan Monday asked the US to help it permanently overcome its energy crisis.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen made the demand during a meeting with US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, Online news agency reported.

They also discussed issues related to the Malakand division in the northwest that has been cleared of the Taliban and the meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) donor group to be held in Istanbul on Aug 25.

Noting that Pakistan was trying to overcome short-term electricity problems through rental power plants as it was facing a shortage of 3,500 MW, Tareen said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had approved a subsidy on electricity on the directives of the US.

The minister said the FoDP meeting would only discuss reconstruction of the Malakand division and the pledges to be made during the conference would be spent on the area.