Express News screengrab of Sindh Minister for Education Nisar Khuhro.
KARACHI: A resolution condemning load-shedding in the province was passed in the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday, Express News reported.
Sindh Minister for Education Nisar Khuhro had presented the resolution in the provincial assembly earlier today, which was supported by Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Condemning the centre's attitude towards the province, the resolution stated that great injustice was being done against Sindh.
The resolution added that the centre and the Ministry for Water and Power were discriminating against the province.
Khuhro said that there has been no electricity in various areas of Karachi since the past seven days.
He stated that because of load-shedding there was a water shortage in Sindh as well, adding that it "was a matter of life and death."
Support
MQM leader Faisal Subzwari, while addressing the Sindh Assembly today, said that Sindh was supplying 70% of the gas supply, further stating that if sufficient gas supply was provided to the province then there would no load-shedding.
Criticising the actions of the centre, the MQM leader said that “this is not a responsible behaviour.”
Addressing the provincial assembly, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah also expressed similar views to that of Khuhro, stating that injustice was being done with the people of Sindh. He also claimed that the center did not trust the Sindh government but instead trusted a "meter reader."
COMMENTS (45)
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@Tayyab: I can not think of such large scale power cuts in a city I am living in a village and it is exteremely difficult to manage with such power outages, the Govt must give priority to the installation of new power plants to save the common man.
@ Junaid what did Shahbaz Sharif achieved from setting up office in heat other then spreading provincialism, did he gave any solution. Similarly its a tit for tat action by Sindh assembly, neither of them really mean it.
@Ammad Malik: It is not about production of gas or electricity, it is about paying the bills. Simply put does the fact that a natural resource coming out from one province entitle it to use it without paying? Do not think so. Even for gas, the access should be given to the province but safeguards must be ensured that the wastage and pilferage does not happen in the garb of provincial rights.
@ Rizwan
Being a Lahori, I can sympathize with your plight; but the fact of the matter is that Sindh does produce 70% of Pakistan's gas, and our constitution does give them the first right of use. Now we can tell them to bugger off, because we are strong and mighty and do to them what we've been doing to Baloch (we've practically eaten up Sui while only 2% of Baloch having access to natural gas)... but i'm guessing they'll started to feel and act like the Baloch are now.
@Hayat: Shahbaz Sharif spent his office time daily in that tent at Minar-i-Pakistan in the scorching heat without electricity. Can Qaim sain step out for a few minutes to bear the heat? what to talk of spending hours at Mazar-i-Quaid :)
There should be no loadshedding at all! Specially in this heat! URGH!
Hmmm...!
So far I have been thinking that for proper power supply country needs enough power plants, fuel supply and responsible citizens who pay their electricity dues on time. I didn't know that power supply can be increased simply by passing a resolution. Great Pakistan, you have enlightened the world with a new discovery. Lol.
Make Kalabagh Dam - water, food and power issues will be resolved.
Just pay your bills n stop being critic just for the sake of critic.
No power? too much heat? No problem! Nothing a cool tall glass won't cure. Don't believe me? Ask Shah Sahib.
PPP is proving itself to be pure provincial party!
There was no problem when Lahore was undergoing massive load-shedding while there was hardly any load-shedding in Karachi.
Please bite that if we had Kala-Bagh damn we wouldn't bd in the mess we are. The electricity grid was build by the tax of all provinces and distribution must be ethical and equitable.
sindh should also stop supply of gas to Punjab
How much of an idiot do you have to be to not to see the real story here. When Punjab had to bear the brunt of 18 hours of Loadshedding while Karachi enjoyed just 5 hours of Loadshedding (in some places even no loadshedding) no-one spoke out. PPP and MQM just made their vote bank stronger by ruining the lives of people of Punjab through 18 hours of loadsheeding. Now that everyone has to face the same amount of loadshedding, they are blaming centre for favourism Shame shame People of sindh need to stop following whatever MQM says. Grow a pair
The Govt must install new power plants on priority so that the increasing gap between supply and demand could be arrested. We are receiving unintrruted power supply from the last five years only nomina; cuts during June when the paddy is planted but we hyave to pay the bills regularly.
the biggest defaulters themselves are condemning.. look at these jokers of the circus. Making fool of people since their childhood. multi-million rupees of dues are on these politicians why dont they pay thier bills first.
The comments against smaller provinces are reminiscent of the attitude of that the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami had against Bengalis.
why didn't these corrupt waderas pass the resolution during five years of their corruption party rule at the centre during which not even a single power project was completed?? Few people give electricity bills in interior sind and as usual they are making it Zulm against Sindhis case
@Ali S
When areas of Lahore with almost 100% recovery were having 18-20 hours load-shedding, I lived on multiple locations along Malir-Port Qasim road, and the max loadshedding in these localities with very low recovery (whole colonies running on kunda) was 6-8 hours.
@Ali S:
I second your observation! There is near zero loadshedding in my neighbourhood but it also has to do with a major police station of Karachi located in this zone and the residence of Judge of Sind High Court, Maqbool Baqir.
Give me a break guys!!!
What is wrong in asking the defaulters to pay their bills??? No matter who the defaulter is, why someone enjoys the electricity or other resources for free and I should be penalized for some defaulter either in the shape of extended load shedding or sharing the defaulted money in my bill. Shame on all those who wants to play dirty politics or make it an ethnic or lingual/provincial issue. Is there any country in the world where people/legislators complaint for such basic issues.
@AR:
I can't speak for HESCO, but K-Electric has a pretty good check and balance when it comes to loadshedding. Loadshedding is divided by bill recovery from areas. I've lived in two middle-class areas with nearly zero loadshedding because their bill recovery exceeded 80%, meanwhile certain 'posh' localities endured several hours of loadshedding because the waderas there considered themselves above paying bills.
I think this system should be implemented nation-wide, where loadshedding is divided into smaller geographic blocks (by block or neighbourhood) on the basis of bill recovery instead of punishing an entire city for the bad apples who don't pay up. Electricity is not a God-given right, it's a utility that you have to pay for.
They all are behaving like a Joker ....!
@Imran when did Federal Government planned to build kala bagh ??
This is totally ludicrous. Why not adopt a resolution against poverty, disease and malnutrition? Like seriously, this populist PPP government needs to get a life. They ruled for 5 years and loadshedding went from good to worse and now they are complaining? And what does it even mean to adopt a resolution against not having something? Like I said above, ok adopt a resolution against poverty? That won't make you rich. These silly parliamentarians should adopt a resolution to prioritize power generation and adopt a resolution to and then actually power generation projects. That's the solution not to cry about it and condemn lack of electricity in parliament.
A bunch of fools I tell you.
When Federal plan to build Kala Bagh Dam then Sindh opposes now asking centre to provide electricity. This seems stupidity, PPP Govt has been in power since 6 continues years (I am not counting before 2008) but unfortunately could not improve the situation of load-shedding despite the fact that major factories and business have been either re-located to Punjab or Bangladesh. Sigh
What about passing a resolution to stop stealing electricity and paying the dues according to the usage.
The elected MNA and MPA must lodge protest together in Islamabad. Why not a Dharna at Quaid Mazar by our elected representatives from Sind. Please do it for Sind.
Power Projects should be initiated by the Provincial governments to tackle the load shedding issue.
Line losses are 28 and 37 percent in HESCO AND K-Electric, respectively. Any resolution against these losses or it is just a political stunt like Punjab Government in the past.
Resolutions have no significance, sadly.