Committee formed to negotiate with centre on PESCO

K-P govt asks federal govt to reciprocate over ‘crucial issue’.

PESHAWAR: The provincial government has formed a six-member committee to negotiate with the federal government over its offer to handover control of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

“We have constituted a six-member committee to talk about taking full control of Pesco. Now the federal government should do the same to initiate the negotiation process on this crucial issue,” said K-P Minister for Information Shah Farman while talking to reporters at the provincial assembly on Monday. Farman said he will be heading the committee, other members of which are Secretary Energy and Power Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad, former Nepra member Abdul Rahim, former Pesco director Nuaman Wazir, Pesco Director Riazuddin and legal adviser to K-P government Shumail Butt.

As a reflection of the government’s seriousness on the issue, Farman said an 11-point agenda has been sent to the federal government in this regard.

“Despite being an electricity producer, K-P faces long hours of power outages,” he said, terming it an unjustifiable act on the centre’s part. “We also have the capacity to generate more electricity, without the construction of Kalabagh and Basha dams,” he added. After taking over full control of Pesco, he said corruption in the organisation will be eliminated.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2014.