ISLAMABAD:
Lawmakers on Friday expressed concern about unannounced electricity and gas load reductions across the country as procedural disputes and protests delayed upper house proceedings.
The Senate session was convened under the chairmanship of Shahadat Awan.
Senator Manzoor Kakar slammed the government for the persistent power and gas outages, stating that while sufficient supplies of electricity and gas were available, the government was still failing to provide relief to the masses.
He blamed the crisis on rampant electricity theft, lamenting that the cost of these losses was being passed on to the public. “Gas comes from Balochistan, but people in the province do not receive it. Traveling from Balochistan to Karachi or Islamabad costs between Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000 in tickets, which ordinary people cannot afford.”
Likewise, Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro regretted that the people of Sindh were also facing similar problems of gas load shedding in winter, adding that this affected the industry more.
“Both Sindh and Balochistan produce gas, but public facilities in both provinces are negligible. PPL is shifting its headquarters from Karachi to Islamabad. Why are offices being shifted from the regions where gas is produced?”
“Public problems are the responsibility of both the government and the opposition. The purpose of raising these issues is not to criticize but to highlight the problems,” he stressed.
During the session, procedural interruptions occurred when opposition members questioned the quorum. Amid the commotion, Bilal Badar Chaudhry was sworn in as a member of the Senate, sparking slogans in the gallery in support of Nawaz Sharif, which were later suppressed by Nuzhat Sadiq.
Opposition members demanded the dismissal of those who caused the riots. Sahibzada Sibghatullah also pointed out the discrepancies in the quorum and termed the taking of oath as “illegal”.
Tensions escalated with heated exchanges between Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and members of the opposition, forcing the house to suspend proceedings for 15 minutes.
Senator Masroor Ahsan expressed concern over electricity shortage across the country and reported unannounced load shedding across the country. “A poor person who does not pay a bill for a month has his electricity cut off, while government institutions owe almost Rp 1.75 trillion. Federal institutions owe more than Rp 1 trillion.”
“During Ramadan, electricity and gas will also be cut off at iftar time. For the love of God, give some relief to the people. Start with your own home. Has the government taken any action against federal institutions that owe electricity bills?”
Load shedding
Responding to the concerns, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said there was no discrimination against any province in the supply of electricity and gas, and no load shedding was being carried out in any district in the country.
He explained that power outages lasting between one and six hours occurred only in districts where electricity theft and line losses fall within the specified criteria.
