Missing in action: Senate body orders arrest of KESC chief executive
A parliamentary panel has directed the interior and Sindh chief secretaries to issue arrest warrants against Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) chief Tabish Gohar, and present him before the panel on December 3.
The Senate Standing Committee on Water and Power – in a meeting held on November 6 – had given a deadline of two days to the KESC chief executive officer (CEO) to appear before it, following a plea from the Ministry of Water and Power.
Water and Power Secretary Nargas Sethi had also endorsed the committee’s decision to issue an arrest warrant against Gohar.
The water and power secretary said that CEO should have attended the meetings to answer the parliamentarian’s queries. She stated that the Senate committee was a supreme body; therefore, he should have been there to resolve the issues of the masses. Sethi revealed that the Ministry of Water and Power had written a letter to the CEO to ensure his presence in the committee but he had not paid any heed.
Chairman of the Senate body Zahid Khan said that the absentee CEO had written a letter to the committee saying that he could not attend the meeting. “We are issuing warrants and sending notices to the interior secretary and Sindh chief secretary to arrest him and present him before the committee by December 3 in line with rules and regulations,” Khan said, adding that Gohar was disrespecting parliament. “We are here to resolve issues of the masses but he (Gohar) does not care for it.”
Shahi Sayed, another member of the Senate committee, said that KESC had turned into a “white elephant” and alleged that it was involved in corruption worth billions of rupees. “I have read the agreement of KESC that is based on fraud,” he claimed.
Sayed added that KESC’s management did not respect the Senate body and therefore action should be taken against it. He said that a high-level committee, comprising Sindh’s governor, had decided to restore the employees of KESC in 2011 but the next day, the company’s CEO had held a press conference against the decision.
Meanwhile, an official of the KESC said that the company was being run by its board of directors and therefore the board could authorise any official to appear before the committee.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2012.
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The CEO should appear before the Senate Committee. It is very common in UK, India, US for parliamentary committees to summon and question executives holding important positions in organizations involving public services. Very recently in the UK, country heads of global giants Google, Starbucks and Amazon were questioned by the UK parliamentary committee on Taxation when it was discovered that these companies were avoiding UK taxes by taking advantage of EU rulings. The Committee members should not violate the respect and reputation of the CEO and treat him with respect and the CEO should present himself for questioning without any qualms.
Get the Saudi Party also back thru interpol for this illegal and illegitimate deal with current kesc management and make them a party in Nepra Petition in SHC
Each day loss may work out to be in the range of a billion rupees from load shedding and lack of enough capacity with production units closed ,workers laid off,foreign investment not coming, / Shuja
What world do you live in Khan Sahib? We are talking about increase in over 1000 MW with over 1 billion dollar investment. Do you realize these are tangible costs with tangible returns?
Do you realize how much is financial impact of electricity shortages?
Talking about Nation’s Wealth-A kick back of a Billion Dollars means a loss of a Trillion Dollars in the form of National Interests compromised and a Ten Trillions Dollars in terms of long term Impact.
When such high magnitude of financial corruption takes place, it kills millions out of hunger,malnutrition, unemployment,lack of health services and social backwardness.
What a shame. When will we get rid of people who are against their own country's interests. The perpetual degradation of state-run institutions is what these people want. I work at KESC. I work very closely with Tabish's team. He is one of the best people I have ever known. I stand by him. I stand by KESC's management. I stand by people of Karachi who are satisfied with the performance of our company.
The water and power authority in Pakistan must be made accountable for providing unchlorinated water to the population which resulted in the death of so many poor and innocent people. Has the governmant realized that these deaths were a result of callous behaviour of the health and water authorities. Families of the deceased must be compensated and the resposible health Minister dismissed and charge sheeted. And what does the Senate want? Rope in the KESC Chief. What a joke!