MPAs congratulate Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim after he took oath at the Sindh Assembly session on Tuesday. The security around him was tightened as a shoe had been lobbed at Dr Rahim back in 2008. PHOTO: ONLINE
The provincial government unanimously passed on Tuesday a resolution criticising the decision of the Senate Standing Committee on Water and Power to curtail the supply of 650 Megawatts (MW) to Karachi from national electricity grid. The legislators demanded that uninterrupted power supply be ensured to the city. While speaking about the issue, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said, “We will protest in the Council of Common Interest’s (CCI) upcoming meeting. The newly elected federal government is violating Sindh’s constitutional rights.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Hafeezuddin was the one who actually brought up the issue - he submitted the adjournment motion, diverting the house’s attention to the statements of Zahid Khan, the chairperson of the water and power committee. He requested the acting speaker Shehla Raza to discuss the issue because he felt the federal government’s decision to curtail electricity to Karachi would create more problems for the city, which already faces power cuts.
Though the PTI leader’s motion was turned down on technical grounds, most legislators - including the chief minister - suggested a resolution on the issue. “I’d like you [MPAs] to please back me by adopting this resolution so that I can take this case in the upcoming CCI meeting politely,” said Shah. He pointed to an agreement in which the federal government had stated it would provide gas to the Karachi Electric Supply Company so that it could generate 650 MW till 2015. “Seventy-one per cent of Pakistan’s total gas is produced in Sindh, but the federal bureaucracy is trying to avoid giving us our due share. We will not tolerate this approach and will protest at every forum,” the chief minister added.
Soon after a debate on the issue, senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and law minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro asked for a resolution on the issue. Later, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Khalid Ahmed moved the resolution which was passed by all legislators, including those belonging to Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners.
Water woes
The MPAs adopted another resolution condemning the Punjab government’s decision of opening the flood canals, diverting Sindh’s share of water from the Indus River. PPP’s Jam Khan Shoro said, “People are suffering from severe water shortages. They’re protesting in every nook and corner of Sindh, especially the provinces lower parts. But the Punjab government has opened the Chashma-Jehlum link canal and Tunsa-Panjnad Canal.” He added that this move was illegal.
Moving the resolution, the members of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), MQM, PML-N and Pakistan Muslim League - Functional requested the federal government to intervene. “Chashma-Jehlum canal and Tunsa-Panjnad canal are built to get surplus water during the floods. But they are getting water through these canals the whole year,” said Shoro.
The treasury members criticised members of the opposition belonging to PML-N, asking them why the party in central government was making anti-Sindh decisions. But PML-F’s Imtiaz Shaikh and PML-N’s Sorath Thebo shot back, saying PPP had also done nothing during its tenure. “What did you people do when you were in the federal government? Now you’re making hue and cry on the Chashma-Jehlum canal and blaming the Punjab government,” said Shaikh.
Opposition leader appointed
The acting speaker has also declared Syed Faisal Ali Sabzwari, as the leader of opposition with effect from June 11.
Resolution passed to make DNA tests mandatory
The Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution on Tuesday to make DNA tests mandatory in rape cases, accepting it as primary evidence and asked the provincial government to bear the expenses of rape victims.
The resolution was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Sharmila Farooqi and supported by all the male and female members of the assembly.
Farooqi said that the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) had declared that DNA tests were not acceptable as primary evidence in the cases of rape but the Supreme Court had later turned down the council’s ruling. “This test will determine scientifically about the involvement of the accused in the case. We request that DNA test is made mandatory,” she said. “The provincial government should also bear the expenses of those victims who cannot afford the test.”
Mehtab Akbar Rashdi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional lauded the resolution and said women, who are victims of the horrific act, will have a chance through this test to put the accused behind bars.
Female MPAs from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement suggested to have DNA counters at all the public hospitals for easy access and creating awareness.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2013.
COMMENTS (12)
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Karachi should stop acting like the problem child of Pakistan. People all over the country are suffering from load shedding. Karachi must also get equal load shedding. Btw Karachities think that they contribute the most to the economy while the truth is that they do contribute a lot but not the most... if you look by GDP Punjabi contributes more... Thus the industries all over Pakistan deserve to get fair electricity supply... i.e. if there is load shedding of 15 hours in Faisalabad so should be the case in Karachi... When will people stop playing the "Sindh"card!!! OR alternatively just let us build the Kalabagh dam! and you can have all your damn gas and the electricity it produces!
@Shoaib:
I am a Sindhi and Karachi is the capital of our province. I have no problem in demands full share for every city of my province.
mian sahib, don't ignore this resolution as we seem to be fastly moving back towards 60s when East Pakistan was blaming the federal governmnts dominated by west pakistan politicians, generals and civil beaucracy of 'eating the east pakistan'. You must have ralized the sensitivity of sind province, had u shown greater prudence, u could have kept Dr Fahmida Mirza as speaker NA to send a message of unity of federation under ur government but u have made urself Lahore centric PM and ur Federal Government is also lahore centric rather a family limited company just do not represent the federation. Now be ready for this persistent antagonism throughout ur tenure.
@Shoaib: Good observation. KESC incorporated in 1913 had the mandate to produce and distribute power to Karachi. It relied on its own capacity to do so. When privatized it progressively stopped using furnace oil to run its power plants and instead forced GOS\GOP to allocate SSGC Gas for it was cheaper than furnace oil and KESC's private investors could make more money. Then KESC began defaulting on its payments to SSGC plus held the country at ransom - by riots etc. - by demanding supply from the national grid, until KESC could renovate its power plants and increase capacity. KESC knowing that PPP\MQM Coalition would promote their interest nationally, defaulted on payments to the WAPDA\PEPCO etc., Plus line losses within Karachi rose and have remained higher than any city in the Punjab. This means massive power theft is occurring at the expense of those citizens paying their bills on time. Sindh has to support the national cause to produce more power for its citizens and collect bills when due. It should not keep threatening the Federation in one form or another by coming up with resolutions in Assembly. That weakens the state and is cause for disharmony.
Let us also demad that all the revenue generated by Sind to be keep in Sind and Only for the development of Electricity, Water and Infrastructure. Why do Sind have to forego its revenue and Support whole Pakistan, if they are not supporting Karachi-Sind. MGA
@Shoaib: Its amazing that you are angry over raising voice against power cut in Karachi and making hue and cry. It means that you have mentally detached yourself from Karachi. Bhai! Karachi is also part of Pakistan and its loss is a loss to whole country. So dont be insane and keep raising voice for Karachi and its people. Its not a matter of Sindhi or Muhajir. Zaki
@Shaami: He was voted in by Karachi not Imran Khan so his priority should be Karachi.
Extremely happy to read about the resolution passed for making DNA test compulsory and primary evidence. An appreciable step by the Sindh government.
Senate still has PPP majority so why are they criticising them? PPP didn't really do much in the last 5 years so they shouldn't be crying foul right now.
The irony is that the first adjournment motion of enhancing inter provincial polarization and hatred is forwarded by one and only Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA's Hafeezuddin in Sindh Assembly?. But i have a question that since Imran Khan is a Chairman of PTI so did Mr Khan approved this motion before being unveiled in the Sindh Assembly?
Probably Talking about Last five years Suggestion - Just go to Bilawal House Karachi and talk to Mr Z
KESC has given SSGC Rs. 42 billion and purchased gas worth Rs 41 billion. According to the court’s ruling, KESC should be getting 276mm CFD of gas. However, it only receives 120mm CFD of gas – less than half of what it is due. The largest city of Pakistan, sustaining an already crumbling economy, gets less than 50% of what it’s supposed to get. However SSGC owes the KESC Rs.47 Billions as per SSGC statement. But this is not the main problem. Today CM Sindh Qaim Ali Shah criticized the PEPCO for reducing the supply 650 MW electricity to KESC. He further added that the 70% of Gas is produced from the Sindh Province and PEPCO cannot reduce the power supply and it will be complete violations of rights. I for once cannot make out this statement. How can a private company which is operating for the purpose to earn profits has a right on the resource of Sindh? I exactly do not know the agreement of KESC with government but I am sure KESC has no any right over the resources of Sindh. While average daily load shedding in the Sindh is 12 hours to 18 hours and except Karachi. In Karachi there is just 3 hours to 6 hours load shedding in only certain areas whereas rest of the city is getting uninterrupted power supply of Electricity & Gas. Since I am living in the Karachi so is the witness. The question is has Qaim Ali Shah ever tried to ask PEPCO or HESCO for such terrible load shedding in the Sindh? Has Qaim Ali Shah ever showed any concern over the rights of the Sindhis? Why Sindhis are continuously facing terrible load shedding while it is their constitutional right to get uninterrupted power supply. I have been every day watch protest in interior Sindh against load shedding but Sindh government have never shown any concern on it and never took measures. Whereas CM & members of Sindh assembly today shown serious aggression in the Sindh assembly on the violation of rights over the reduction news of power supply to KESC.