Lawmakers close ranks over Wapda 'retaliation'

In a rare show of unity that cut across party lines, members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday rallied behind their fellow lawmaker, Sanaullah Masti Khel, after he alleged that power supply to his residence had been cut off in apparent retaliation for raising questions about Wapda.

The outrage prompted committee members to down tools, refusing to proceed with the scheduled meeting.

The PAC session, chaired by Junaid Akbar Khan, was convened to review audit objections but was abruptly adjourned without taking up the agenda.

Members termed the incident a "vindictive move" against the PTI MNA and warned of a dangerous precedent if lawmakers were punished for parliamentary oversight.

However, in a clarification issued amid the uproar in parliament, the authority rejected the allegations, stating the matter was outside its purview and squarely within the domain of the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), insisting it had no hand in the matter.

Speaking at the outset of the PAC session, the chairman took strong exception to the move, throwing his weight behind the lawmaker.

"Yesterday, MNA Sanaullah Masti Khel from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had asked why there is a general in WAPDA. Perhaps that question didn't sit well with some," he said.