KARACHI: The Pak Sarzameen Party on Friday held a protest demonstration outside the office of the K-Electric against prolonged unannounced power outages, and announced to hold another next week outside the Sui Southern Gas Company.
Addressing the protest demonstration, PSP chairman Mustafa Kamal said that it was shameful that current power crises is artificial and imposed on the residents on Karachi who are suffering from load shedding for over eighteen hours per day.
“We have not gathered here any political purpose. It is shameful for the authorities that the residents of the largest city in Pakistan, are not been given the basic right of electricity and have gathered here.”
He said that both K-Electric and the SSGC are making excused others for the power crises, and K-Electric blamed SSGC for not receiving gas supply, while the gas company claimed not receiving any supply from the fields.
However, it has been known that K-Electric owes outstanding dues to SSGC which has created an artificial power shortage in the city.
“I want to make it clear to the authorities are people are Karachi are peace loving. There is no gas in winters and electricity in summers,” he said adding that he fears the citizens make take matters in their own hands.
“If the crisis was real then we would have shown restraint. But this is an artificial one.”
Mustafa Kamal also criticised Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for failing to act and merely claiming to have written a letter to the prime minister over the power crisis.
“Is it the Indian prime minister that you are writing a letter? The chief minister of the province which generates seventy percent revenue is begging for electricity,” he said.
While turning towards the K-Electric authorities, Kamal said that citizens face disconnection for failing to pay their bills just one day late but still do not receive their services. He asked if electricity can be produced from LNG which is abundantly available in the country but require direct payment.
He said the K-Electric was sold for almost Rs200 billion, and Nepra had ordered over two years ago to reduce per unit price of electricity which was not implemented, and a stay order was received while Rs75 billion were collected from the people of Karachi.
