ISLAMABAD – Senators on Thursday warned the government of Egypt-like ‘revolution’ in the country if it failed to mitigate the sufferings of the poor and overcome the energy crisis as there was no hope visible.
Speaking on an adjournment motion on unscheduled load shedding, excessive billing and hiked power tariff in the Upper House of parliament, they said despite repeated warnings, it was not likely that the government would take remedial measures. Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of MQM was very critical of the government over the energy crisis and its negative effects, particularly in Karachi.
JI’s Professor Ibrahim Khan warned if the grievances of power consumers were not addressed, the situation could turn worse than that prevailing in Tunisia and Egypt. He asked the government to ensure required power supply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa first and distribute the remaining to the other parts of the country later.
Expressing similar views, Senator Haroon Akhtar recommended the government to exploit indigenous resources for energy generation and reduce the line losses. The forces using Pakistan as a frontline state in the war against terrorism should also consider helping the country in producing nuclear energy, he added.
Abdul Rahim Khan Mandokhel asked Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to take measures for replacing the old distribution system, particularly in Balochistan, as a single defect or incident could lead to blackout in a large area of the province. Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada suggested freezing all the development expenditures and diverting funds towards energy projects.
Senator Hasil Bizenjo, speaking on a point of order, proposed passing a resolution to express Pakistani nation’s support for the struggle of Egyptian people against a dictator and said the Arab rulers were responsible for the decline of Muslim nation. However, Senator Raza Rabbani opposed the move without consulting the Foreign Office.
