CJP Justice Gulzar Ahmed calls for investigation of company that bought KE

KE submits detailed reported, CJP terms report 'unsatisfactory'

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Thursday said the company that bought K-Eletric (KE) should be investigated.

A three-member bench - led by CJP Justice Gulzar Ahmed - at the Supreme Court's Karachi Registry, heard the case related to unannounced loadshedding and electrocution deaths in the city. 

During the hearing, KE submitted a detailed report but the chief justice termed the report unsatisfactory.

The National Electrical Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) chairperson Tauseef Farooqi presented a record of cases and said KE has kept stay orders on all their cases.

The chief justice responded that following the court order, the power was cut off in half of the city. "Who is responsible for the power outage? People are dying of electrocution and KE is allowed bail of Rs50,000," the chief justice remarked.

Advocate Faisal Siddiqui said if KE is fined Rs200 million then there will be no more complaints. "If they are fined Rs5 million, they will earn the money within days."

Justice Gulzar Ahmed said the owner of KE is in jail, adding that the condition of our government is such that it has given the company to a person arrested in another country.

"Going to jail is not a problem for them, the same way politicians are sitting in jail and running the country. It only matters to them when they have to pay," he remarked.

KE counsel Abid Zubair said the the man in jail is not the owner, but a shareholder. "This is a public holding company and the director is present."

The chief justice said the power was cut off in half of the city following the court order and said the company which bought K-Electric will be investigated.

"What are the resources of the company? How was KE purchased? How does it operate?" he asked. 

A day earlier, the apex court ordered authorities to register murder cases against relevant KE officials for the deaths that had taken place in Karachi due to electrocution during the recent rains, adding that KE CEO Moonis Alvi's name should be placed on the Exit Control List.

Lashing out at the power utility, the CJP stated that the city should not be without electricity for even a minute, warning that if load-shedding continued, the only places without power would be KE offices and its officials' homes. 

The court further stated that a detailed audit of the power distribution company should be conducted, and it should be ready to face accountability.