Angry lawmakers: MPAs threaten protest at PM House over load-shedding
Opposition members bash budget, claim PPP-led govt not utilising funds properly
Protests are taking place across Pakistan due to lengthy loadshedding. PHOTO: ONLINE/FILE
KARACHI:
During the provincial assembly session, ministers threatened to stage a sit-in in front of Prime Minister House and the federal water and power minister's office in Islamabad against load-shedding in Sindh. During the post-budget session on Wednesday that was dominated by speeches bashing load-shedding, finance minister Murad Ali Shah said they have written 'repeated' letters to the federal government and prime minister about putting an end to extended load-shedding in the province but have received no response.
Even in Ramazan, the power utility companies have started 15 to 18 hours of load-shedding in various areas of the province, he said. "After the 18th Amendment we can generate and sell our own electricity," he said, explaining that when the Sindh government started a project to generate 100 megawatts of electricity and requested the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) to purchase it, the utility company refused, saying there was sufficient electricity for consumers. "Unfortunately they started unannounced load-shedding for hours," he said.
The minister urged all parties in the assembly to join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government to protest in front of Prime Minister House. Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani said that he, along with the Sindh chief minister, will also join the protest if it was planned. Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan endorsed Shah's statement and said that people living in Karachi and other parts of the province face pathetic conditions in the absence of electricity.
Education minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro referred to a K-Electric statement issued before Ramazan which reads, "There will be no load-shedding at the time of Sehri or Iftar", saying this promise has not been fulfilled, as many areas of Karachi are still power-less.
Budget
Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F) MPA Mehtab Akbar Rashdi presented seven years worth of data on funds allocated to various projects, which are still lying unfinished. "The education department has earmarked billions of rupees for missing facilities at government schools.
Even after seven years, these facilities are still missing," she said, adding that a majority of the funds were allocated for comprehensive schools and cadet colleges, which have yet to see the light of the day.
"You have allocated around Rs225 billion for development in the upcoming budget but who will be held accountable for utilising 0% funds meant for the many projects in the current budget?" she asked.
MQM's Khalid Ahmed said that most of Karachi's funds are being diverted to the Lyari and Sukkur medical colleges. He said that there is no new scheme in budget, rather the government has introduced old projects with new names. "It is old wine in a new bottle," he claimed.
"The Sindh government has ruined most cities and towns in Sindh, which now look like Moen Jo Daro. No tangible result will come out of this budget," remarked PML-F MPA Shaharyar Mahar.
MQM staged walkout
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers staged a token walkout against the FIR registered against its leader Aminul Haq. "Frequent raids are being conducted with the registration of fake cases against our leaders and workers but people don't take notice of it," Hassan alleged. "We want to know why the government is silent on this issue. No one from CM House or the home department talks about this issue. Where should we go?" he lamented.
During the speech, PPP minister Manzoor Wasan laughed while looking at the MQM benches, which irked the opposition leader. "Instead of giving relief to us, you people are laughing and making it into a joke. The time will soon come when you will be in trouble and we will react in the same fashion," Hassan said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2016.
During the provincial assembly session, ministers threatened to stage a sit-in in front of Prime Minister House and the federal water and power minister's office in Islamabad against load-shedding in Sindh. During the post-budget session on Wednesday that was dominated by speeches bashing load-shedding, finance minister Murad Ali Shah said they have written 'repeated' letters to the federal government and prime minister about putting an end to extended load-shedding in the province but have received no response.
Even in Ramazan, the power utility companies have started 15 to 18 hours of load-shedding in various areas of the province, he said. "After the 18th Amendment we can generate and sell our own electricity," he said, explaining that when the Sindh government started a project to generate 100 megawatts of electricity and requested the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) to purchase it, the utility company refused, saying there was sufficient electricity for consumers. "Unfortunately they started unannounced load-shedding for hours," he said.
The minister urged all parties in the assembly to join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government to protest in front of Prime Minister House. Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani said that he, along with the Sindh chief minister, will also join the protest if it was planned. Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan endorsed Shah's statement and said that people living in Karachi and other parts of the province face pathetic conditions in the absence of electricity.
Education minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro referred to a K-Electric statement issued before Ramazan which reads, "There will be no load-shedding at the time of Sehri or Iftar", saying this promise has not been fulfilled, as many areas of Karachi are still power-less.
Budget
Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F) MPA Mehtab Akbar Rashdi presented seven years worth of data on funds allocated to various projects, which are still lying unfinished. "The education department has earmarked billions of rupees for missing facilities at government schools.
Even after seven years, these facilities are still missing," she said, adding that a majority of the funds were allocated for comprehensive schools and cadet colleges, which have yet to see the light of the day.
"You have allocated around Rs225 billion for development in the upcoming budget but who will be held accountable for utilising 0% funds meant for the many projects in the current budget?" she asked.
MQM's Khalid Ahmed said that most of Karachi's funds are being diverted to the Lyari and Sukkur medical colleges. He said that there is no new scheme in budget, rather the government has introduced old projects with new names. "It is old wine in a new bottle," he claimed.
"The Sindh government has ruined most cities and towns in Sindh, which now look like Moen Jo Daro. No tangible result will come out of this budget," remarked PML-F MPA Shaharyar Mahar.
MQM staged walkout
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers staged a token walkout against the FIR registered against its leader Aminul Haq. "Frequent raids are being conducted with the registration of fake cases against our leaders and workers but people don't take notice of it," Hassan alleged. "We want to know why the government is silent on this issue. No one from CM House or the home department talks about this issue. Where should we go?" he lamented.
During the speech, PPP minister Manzoor Wasan laughed while looking at the MQM benches, which irked the opposition leader. "Instead of giving relief to us, you people are laughing and making it into a joke. The time will soon come when you will be in trouble and we will react in the same fashion," Hassan said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2016.