The KESC administration was on the receiving end of Senator Raza Rabbani’s harangue during the eighth sitting of the upper house.
“The KESC management has become an economic terrorist. The company is fleecing the people of Karachi by transferring billions of rupees of profit to its foreign accounts,” claimed Rabbani, who had earlier asked the government to take over the company
as its management had failed to meet contractual obligations.
He was responding to a rebuttal KESC had given, defending itself against the senator’s earlier criticism. “Rabbani’s allegations are baseless,” the company said, urging the government to play its role in ensuring regular supply of electricity to consumers by getting government entities to pay billions in debt.
“The power company owes Rs55 billion to the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) and other power generation companies,” said Senator Rabbani. “KESC also owes Rs36.775 billion to the Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited for the last two years,” added the senator.
During Tuesday’s session, lawmakers had demanded action against the KESC management. Muttahida Qaumi Movement senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi had demanded that the names of the top KESC officials be put on the Exit Control List (ECL) so that they could not escape with ‘looted money’.
In response, Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar had assured the House that the licence of the company could be revoked if its management “does not mend its ways.”
Privilege motion
During the question hour on Thursday, the House passed a motion against the secretaries of foreign affairs, finance, cabinet division, production and commerce, for not replying to questions posed by Senators.
Chairman of the Senate referred the privilege motion regarding ministerial absence to the Standing Committee on Rules of Procedures and Privileges.
Rabbani, while submitting privilege motion against federal secretaries, said that it was breach of lawmakers’ privileges when the ministries of finance, foreign affairs, commerce and other departments failed to submit replies to Parliament.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2012.
COMMENTS (11)
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Let PPP Jiyalas run KESC and there will be no electricity for Karachi. Karachi will be city of darkness.
If KESC is to be taken back, huge penalties would have to be paid by the GOP. So who benefits ? Would it not be better to force them to abide by their commitments.
Thanks to KESC in my area, there is no more load-shedding, but if it is owned by the government again i have no doubt that my area will have major load-shedding.
I think people dont understand that they are working hard for the people who are not stealing electricity but paying for it,
the real terrorist are the politicians who dont pay there electricity bill and think everything for them should be free...cause they are above everyone else...
Raza Rabbani is a senior lawyer and we must respect his findind that KESC is an ECONOMIC Terrorist. He may appreciate that the act of Terrorism is carried out by factual persons and not a corporate person. we must therefore identify the persons behind KESC as to who own this company. Like KESC there is a very large number of clisted companies which are owned by Ghosts.
I respect Rabbani even when i disagree. Being a hardcore capitalist, it never seizes to amaze me how hard core lefty this guy is. Never wavered from whatever he believed in and that is something we can respect even though disagree
Legacy of Bhutto: nationalize everything, then keep bailing them out.
Too late to spot that.. Now the new govt will saying previous govt was corrupt. Lame Excuses.
They should have planned for this before they privatised a utility company. Why would anyone invest their money if they can't take the profits?
KESC should be stopped under the companies ordinance by state bank of Pakistan not to send money abroad as it liabilities in Pakistan are growing by each day .
KESC is a company involved in 'economic terrorism', so says Senator Rabbani. If so, take them to the 'anti-terrorism-courts' or, even better, do what usually must be done with any terrorist outfit-----destroy them. Remember we are fighting a fulfledged war against terrorism and it must be against all kind of terrorism. Get rid of those at the helms of its affairs and planning, directing and executing terrorism against the citizens.