KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly’s special committee on Wednesday grilled representatives of HESCO, SEPCO, K-Electric and NEPRA over prolonged power outages, expressing dissatisfaction with their responses and warning of legal action if the companies failed to improve electricity supply.
The meeting turned tense as the representatives struggled to satisfy committee members on questions about loadshedding and other complaints. K-Electric representatives were eventually asked to leave the meeting after the committee expressed dissatisfaction with their responses.
The meeting was held in compliance with the ruling of the Sindh Assembly speaker on a resolution concerning loadshedding. It was chaired by committee chairman and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member Fayaz Butt.
The CEOs of HESCO, SEPCO and K-Electric had been summoned. However, K-Electric’s head of distribution and other officials appeared before the committee.
Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi, Chief Minister’s Special Assistant Saleem Baloch, PTI members Shabbir Qureshi and Sajjad Soomro, PPP members Asif Musa Gilani, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Asif Khan and Yousuf Baloch, Sadia Javed, and MQM members Sabir Kaimkhani, Najam Mirza attended the meeting.
Fayaz Butt said the special committee had indicated that action would be taken if the power distribution companies failed to ensure electricity supply.
He said a final meeting would be held with the CEOs and, if no progress was made, the committee would determine the maximum penalties permissible under the law.
He also expressed displeasure with NEPRA officials, asking why licences of power distribution companies were not cancelled if the regulator could not enforce its orders. “You have not come prepared. I will write to the federal government that NEPRA says it has no powers,” he said.
Saadia Javed asked what action could be taken if the committee’s decisions were not followed, saying the companies listened to the committee “with one ear and let it out through the other.” Committee Secretary Syed Hasan Shah said the committee had its honor and that the law provided for imprisonment of up to six months if its privilege was breached.
Yousuf Baloch raised another complaint, saying a meter had been installed in his name on paper six years before he was born. “I am a sitting MPA. If a fake bill can be issued in my name, imagine what happens to ordinary people,” he said.
Saleem Baloch said the meeting minutes should record that NEPRA was unable to control K-Electric, HESCO and SEPCO.
He said the closure of feeders and PMTs would not be tolerated under any circumstances. “I pay my bill; you stop electricity theft. According to NEPRA, loadshedding is illegal,” he said.
Ghulam Qadir Chandio alleged that K-Electric representatives had wasted three hours of the MPAs’ time and called for notices to be issued against them under the Privilege Act. K-Electric’s head of distribution apologized on behalf of the CEO and said no one present had the authority of the chief executive. He said the company’s representatives had come to find a solution to the issue.
However, Fayaz Butt, dissatisfied with the response, directed the K-Electric representatives to leave the meeting. The meeting later ended. Speaking after the meeting, Fayaz Butt said the assembly had passed the resolution in 2024, following which the special committee was formed.
He said the K-Electric CEO did not attend the meeting and the committee was not satisfied with the two representatives who appeared on behalf of the company. “The entire public is suffering from loadshedding. We expelled K-Electric representatives from the meeting and will take action through the Privileges Committee,” he said.
He said K-Electric officials had failed to provide answers and added that they could be arrested if the law provided for such action. Ali Khurshidi said power distribution companies were operating like a “mafia” and urged them to improve their performance. He alleged that the companies’ general managers were acting like local strongmen in their respective areas.
Khurshidi suggested that the next meeting should be held outside K-Electric’s head office. “We will have them set up tents outside K-Electric’s office and hold the meeting there, with the public and elected representatives present,” he said. The 18th Constitutional Amendment was passed in 2010 and financial powers were transferred from the federal government to the provinces. He claimed that Sindh had received more than Rs20 trillion under the Constitution, but its condition had continued to deteriorate.
He also said Karachi had become the fourth-worst city in the world. The opposition leader said the MQM had presented a draft during the process of the 26th Constitutional Amendment to empower local government institutions, but it could not become part of the process because of what he described as the PPP’s rigidity.
“Today, the whole of Pakistan is talking about what MQM has been saying. There is discussion across the country about new administrative units and public referendums,” he said, calling for powers to be distributed in accordance with the Constitution.
He accused the PPP of turning an administrative issue into an ethnic issue and said powers over public funds should be given to the people.
Khurshidi also criticized PPP leader Saeed Ghani, saying that he would respond if his leadership was criticized. Referring to the 2024 Senate elections, he questioned why Ghani had visited Bahadurabad to seek votes. He asked those making allegations about Form 47 to stop trying to mislead people. “Do not talk about our leadership. If you do, I alone am enough to respond to your cabinet and ministers,” he said.
He said Sindh needed to be freed from what he described as the rule of “Shahs” and alleged that the rights of Sindhis had been denied. He claimed that the PPP was interested in the Sindh government rather than the province itself. Talking to the media, Sindh government spokesperson Saadia Javed said the K-Electric distribution official who attended the special committee meeting did not even know the level of electricity demand.
“We will ask the speaker to have the officer who appeared before the committee arrested, ”Sadia Javed said a letter had been received from the K-Electric CEO stating that the official would represent him, but the officer could not answer any of the committee’s questions. She said notices would be issued through the Privileges Committee.
She also criticized MQM leaders, saying several of them were public office-holders, while Mustafa Kamal and Khalid Maqbool were federal ministers. “The people of Sindh will ask them questions. If the questions seem too difficult, they should leave their ministries,” she said.
She said she had attended a solid waste event the previous day where, according to her, more people were present than at the MQM rally. Asked about reports that relatives of political figures were associated with K-Electric, she said she was unaware of any such cases and added that the media should disclose their names if such relationships existed.
