Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab Organiser Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar demanded on Monday the removal of both Federal Minister and Minister of State for Water and Power after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) held them responsible for power load-shedding and over-billing.
He also demanded re-funding or adjusting the undue amounts charged to common electricity consumers. An authority report earlier revealed that there was 70 percent over-billing in electricity charges and there was no shortfall of electricity in the country during last one year. He said deployment of the Rangers was necessary for free and fair Local Government polls and by-elections due in October.
In speeches in campaign meetings for the NA-122 by-elections in Garhi Shahu, Samanabad and Ichra, he said it was now a fact that the government "lied to the public" about its commitment and seriousness to eradicating power outages. "It was extreme of callousness on part of the present rulers and the worst kind of fraud ever done in any democracy," he added.
He was accompanied by Deputy Organiser Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, by-poll candidates Abdul Aleem Khan, Shoaib Siddiqui, MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal, Women Wing President Salooni Bukhari and others. Chaudhry Sarwar said a fraud of this scale was a verdict against the government. "There is no credibility left of Khwaja Asif and Abid Sher Ali following the revelation that they themselves were responsible for power outages and extorting money from the public on account of electricity bills. They have lost every ground to stay in the office, they must resign immediately.
We've been saying it for long that their power generation schemes are nothing but façade; they are merely for pomp and show in the media and to earn commissions in tenders. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority's report is a testimony to party claims about the government's corruptions, ill-planning, criminal negligence and incompetence."
He then welcomed the decision putting army troops at polling stations in Lahore and Lodhran. "The government was trying every possible way to steal the mandate in these polls, but now it will not be possible," he claimed. "The public is looking towards the Insaf in these times of bad governance and corrupt practices."