KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in a third letter to the prime minister on prolonged load shedding in the province said indifference towards the province was not acceptable.
“It seems that the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-N) government has decided to target the people of Sindh for categorically rejecting it in the polls, however, we cannot act as a silent spectator to this situation,” he wrote.
He wrote that he was compelled to write him yet again on the matter of short gas supply to K-Electric for power generation, as after two previous letters and numerous phone calls, the people of Sindh, particularly of Karachi, continue to cruelly be deprived of electricity.
“The only losers in the on-going blame game between K-Electric and SSGC are the residents of the Pakistan’s largest city,” he said.
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The CM said the responsibility of resolving the issue lied with the government of Pakistan (GOP), as it owned over 70 percent of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and almost 25 percent of K-Electric. He added that both the concerned regulators – – National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) — are also federal entities.
He said it was also important to note that when the Implementation Agreement was signed between the private party and the GOP for privatization of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), the Sindh government was not taken into confidence on the said agreement.
Murad Ali Shah said that through that agreement, the GOP guaranteed the payment of all outstanding liabilities payable to KESC, including those of Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KW&SB). While, the Sindh government was paying the current dues of KW&SB on time, the payment of liabilities remains the responsibility of GOP as per contractual arrangements, he said.
“The apathy and indifference being demonstrated by the ruling government in resolving this issue is not only adding to the miseries of the people of Karachi but is also turning it into a law and order problem as various political parties and civil society organizations have threatened to agitate on the streets on this issue.”
“It is apprehended that vested interests may take advantage of this situation by resorting to violence, thus threatening the peace in Karachi, which has been achieved through intense efforts of both the governments and through great sacrifices of our law enforcement agencies,” the CM said.
He said in his letter that It was not only Karachi that was suffering due to indifference of the GOP, but also other areas of Sindh, which were experiencing electricity outages for an average of 16 hours a day and in some places even up to 20 hours a day due to poor performance of HESCO and SEPCO.
“This is an appalling failure of the government machinery,” he deplored.
Murad Ali Shah complained with the prime minister that It seemed that the PML-N government had decided to target the people of Sindh for categorically rejecting it in the polls, however, we cannot act as a silent spectator to this situation.
He further said, “The people of Sindh are citizens of Pakistan and enjoy equal rights and consideration under the constitution. The citizens of this province are not ready to tolerate GOP’s blatant discrimination anymore.”
The Sindh chief minister told the premier that if the reminder also failed to wake up the federal government to the plight of the people of Sindh and failed to bring an urgent remedial response from it, then he would raise the issue strongly in the Council of Common Interest and NEC meeting scheduled next week and would not participate in discussion on any other agenda item unless a decision was made on that issue to the satisfaction of the justified demand of the people of Sindh.
He hoped that immediate directives would be issued by prime minister office to all concerned for resolving this issue without any further delay of time and without letting thing get out of control.
