ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan said on Wednesday that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is making all-out efforts to resolve Karachi's power issues, while passing the buck on PPP and PML-N for ignoring the problems of the port city during their respective turns in power.
Speaking in the National Assembly, he questioned why the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did not go for the delivery point for K-Electric despite being in power from 2008 to 2018, adding it was done when PTI came into power.
"KE has been provided with an additional 100mmcfd gas. We have given residual fuel oil (RFO) to them on loan so that their power plants may run," he said, adding that an additional 100MW electricity was also given to the power utility.
Ayub said that Karachi is the heart of the country and that it needed to run, therefore, the cabinet has approved that KE will have to build two common delivery points and two 500KVA grids so that they don't have to face such an issue after 2022. "The opposition has the right to address the issues of their respective constituencies here, but it should be based on facts - not point-scoring.
Talking about the infrastructure of Sindh, he said that members from the treasury bench, including, Federal Minister Ali Zaidi were raising their voice over the clogging of sewers in Karachi and bringing it to the provincial government's attention.
"This is the responsibility of the PPP to get them cleaned. Our allies from MQM-P and Fehmida Mirza of Grand Democratic Alliance have raised similar issues multiple times. COVID-19 medicines are being recovered from graveyards in Sindh. Why isn't the government taking action against it?" he asked.
Ayub urged them [opposition parties] to put aside politics and deliver to the people.
PML-N MNA Ahsan Iqbal, while raising Karachi's issues on the floor of the house, demanded that the metropolis' problems should be reviewed immediately and a committee be formed to resolve them.
Meanwhile, a PTI member, Faheem Khan said that KE had become a "bully" and that action should be taken against the power utility.
"The PPP made an agreement with them and people are being punished for it," he added.
Refuting claims that the PPP had struck a deal with the power utility, senior party leader Naveed Qamar said that the company was privatised in Shaukat Aziz's tenure.
"We are with you on the issue of K-Electric," assured Qamar, adding that steps were needed to be taken against it.
Former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said that since the day KE had come into being, problems had begun.
"This house is the representative of 220 million people [...] The people expect us to solve their problems," he added.
Later, strongly protesting against load-shedding in Karachi by K-Electric, the opposition lawmakers staged a walkout from the House.
The members of National Assembly offered fateha for former member of the house late Ayatullah Durrani, another former legislator and for people who lost their lives in different railway and road accidents in the country.
The house also offered a one-minute silence for Sikh yatris who lost their lives in a collision between a train and a van in Sheikhupura recently.
PPP MNA Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah asked National Assembly speaker to issue production order of Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah for the current session.
On a point of order, he said, "I request the National Assembly speaker to issue the production order of the detained member of National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah to enable him to attend the important business of the house."
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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