Sindh Energy and Planning Minister, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, headed a heated assembly on Friday, involving parliamentary leaders and members from all parties, along with members of the Sindh Assembly. Among those present were Minister of Local Government Sindh, Saeed Ghani, National Assembly Member Nabeel Gabol, Sindh Assembly Members Yousuf Baloch, Asif Khan, and Najam Mirza, as well as opposition leader Ali Khorasani, and parliamentary leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, Muhammad Farooq. The assembly was convened to address the escalating issue of load shedding, and the persistent non-payment of bills by K-Electric.
The ongoing power cuts and the recent prolonged outages, which have affected various areas, were discussed at length. During the meeting, members Nabeel Gabol and Yousuf Baloch expressed strong opposition to K-Electric ‘s commitments and highlighted specific timeframes for load shedding during peak hours. They argued that such actions by K-Electric were exacerbating tensions between communities and regions.
Parliamentary leaders Ali Khursheedi and Muhammad Farooq also criticized K-Electric for what they termed as an anti-people approach. They raised concerns about the adverse effects of load shedding on the daily lives of citizens. Minister of Local Government Saeed Ghani emphasized that K-Electric lacks a mechanism to differentiate between bill payers and non-payers, thereby unfairly penalizing both groups. He urged K-Electric to reconsider its stance and work collaboratively with elected representatives to address the issue of load shedding. In response, K-Electric’s CEO Munis Alvi defended the company’s actions, stating that they were necessary to manage the current power crisis. He provided insights into the current load shedding situation, indicating that approximately 70% of the city is experiencing power cuts due to non-payment of dues.
