The row between the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and some 4,500 workers has put Karachi through hell, with the dispute primarily being over the utility of these workers for the company. While KESC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tabish Gauhar claimed two days ago in a press conference that the company will make no appointments without merit, Pakistan Today has learnt that a number of senior posts have been awarded to family members of the politically influential as well as to retired intelligence and army officers, with individual salaries running into millions. As many as 750 officers have also been appointed at packages ranging from Rs 150,000 to Rs500, 000.
The majority of these newly-appointed belong to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), but a number of senior officers have also been hired at the behest of senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders, sources told Pakistan Today. “MQM-backed employees, with the help of their party colleagues, are pressuring people not to strike against power failure,” sources said.
The KESC appointed Asir Manzoor as the group head of Human Resources, with his remuneration package worth Rs 2 million. Before joining the KESC, Manzoor had served in Coca Cola as well as Ittefaq Foundry, which is owned by leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). “Manzoor is responsible for creating a lot of misunderstandings between workers and the company,” sources told Pakistan Today.
Soon after Manzoor was hired, he appointed his brother-in-law, Zarar Nasir Khan, as manger. Within 18 months, Manzoor promoted Khan twice – first as deputy general manager and then as general manager. Khan is now drawing a monthly salary of Rs 500,000 from the KESC.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNA Khushbakht Shujat got her son, Shahbaz Beg, appointed as Training Director. He is currently drawing a salary of Rs 500,000. Pir Danish, son of senior provincial minister from the PPP Pir Mazharul Haq, is employed in the KESC as Government Affairs Director. He is also drawing Rs 500,000 in salary. Nayyat Hussain, a relative of PPP MNA Sherry Rehman, is working as Technical Group Head, and pocketing Rs 2.5 million every month.
The most interesting appointment made by the company’s management is that of the group head of Industrial Relations: 78-year-old Abdul Gafoor, a retired bank officer, was hired despite being “physically unfit” for the job, sources explained. Ghafoor received Rs 2.5 million in salary.
Asif Hussain, brother of MQM provincial minister Aadil Siddiqi, is serving as the KESC Production Department’s revenue director; he is drawing Rs 700,000 in monthly salary. Abid Hussain, brother of MQM’s parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Syed Sardar Ahmed, is serving as a project director in the KESC; he pockets Rs 500,000 in salary. Another active worker of the MQM, Abrar Hussain, has been given the slot of Project-2 Director at a monthly salary of Rs 500,000.
Former heads of Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) Karachi and Islamabad, Brig. (retd) Mazhar Ahmed and Brig. (retd) Masood Ahmed, are now working with the KESC as their security chiefs. Both men are drawing a bumper monthly salary of Rs 3 million, with directions to appoint them coming directly from the President’s House, sources alleged.
About 18 retired colonels are working for the company, sources said. “Col (retd) Wahid Asghar, Col (retd) Imran Nadeem Khuwaja, Col (retd) Saqi, Col(retd) Aamir are among the former military men hired in the company. They all are pocketing Rs 500,000 every month,” sources claimed.
Naveed Hussain, a close relative of PML-Q’s MNA Humayun Akhtar, has been drawing Rs 29 lakh salary as Group Head of Recovery.
Tayyab Tareen, a former employee of a beverage company, has been engaged as Finance Group Head on orders issued from the Prime Minister’s House. Tareen belongs to Multan, the home city of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
“While these officers earn millions, the skilled labour that is expected to be laid off earns between Rs 12,000 and Rs 30,000,” sources explained. “According to the agreement signed between the KESC management and the government at the time of privatisation, no downsizing, termination or retrenchment could be undertaken for at least seven years from the date of takeover. The KESC could also not increase tariffs. But the company has violated both these agreements,” sources said.
Imdad Soomro
It was really a good scoop unvieling the black face of KESC management who are on side want to expel thousend of poor workers but on the other hand, looting millions of rupees on the basis of nepotisim of politcal leaders.
very daring – really marvellous – my tributes to Imdad Soomro – should be
widely circulated – i request people come forward and contribute by discloing the deeds of the wrongdoers – shame on these selfcentred and courrupt leaders.
remarkable soomro sahib.
this matter should b rose on assembly floor.
or supreme court should take soo motto notice.
I agree with Adnan Raza
remarkable soomro sahib.
this matter should b rose on assembly floor.
or supreme court should take soo motto notice.
Under the prevailing circumstances in Pakistan, particularly in Karachi, K.E.S.C. has no option but to hire 'white elephants' for it's survival at the COST of poor people who are NOWADAYS considered as DIRT in Pakistani society. May Allah help these poor people and our country, PAKISTAN.
It is definitely a scoop over KESC corrupt management.
Thanks Imdad sb for such a eyeopening story.
What is the fault of the person who is qualified & experienced but is realated to someone? Moreover KESC is a private company and they have the right to hire & fire like any other private company. Look at PIA, Steel Mills which are publicly owned companies and how they have been made bankrupt? Has anyone checked how many people are qualified to work for them and how many are political appointees?
Is it also not true that these who were laid off were engaging in corruption and taking bribes for allowing illegal connections (Kundas)? These illegal connection resulted in theft of about 30% of generated power?
i think This Iqbal and S_M_Hasan are the same person…
how qualified and experienced a person could be 2 draw 29 lacs etc. a month? that also in a company that fails to make profits and run smoothly.
Regret that your focus is mis directed. It is not at all important to be relative of some big shot. For example you mentioned two things about Shahbaz Beg. One he is being paid Rs 500,000 pm…….This is normal executive salary in any multinational, so there is no big deal. Second he is related to Khushbakht Shujaat…………this is where I have complete disagreement with the writer. What is the harm if he is related to someone high up in politics. He will continue to have this relationship wherever he goes. The important thing is whether he is qualified and competent or not. If he is qualified/competent it is of no relevance whether he is related to XYZ or not. Please try to be positive and avoid twisting facts to irrelevant directions. Why dont you write about KUNDAs in every thana and most masajid. Have you calculated how much we pay to generating our own power using generator and petrol/diesel/gas and are not willing to pay little higher for getting power from KESC. Write about Hydel power that KESC is getting now against what it was getting earlier, the main cause for load shedding…………….. Your article contains lots of criticism and NO POSITIVE SUGGESTION.
typical defensive and dishonest reply. Try and be straight in your argument. The article is pinpointing corruption of a massive scale not just nepotism and "jobs for the boys". If you cannot or will not see this then there is no hope for you or the country. There are none so blind as those who will not see. The organisation of the KESC is a national disgrace and would not be tolerated in any "open" country where common sense and reason prevail. But Pakistan has minds that are twisted beyond belief. Would any of this be allowed under the Founder Jinnah with his strict honesty and beleif in llegal procedure???? How far from his principles have we strayed.
if these ppl were so competent than KESC would not have been wt it is today….a complete failure! it is suppose to supply electricity to ppl which it is not so ppl have all the right o critisze the appointments of shahbaz beg and likes. if shahbaz beg and the others r so competent they shudn't b risking their portfolios working in acompany which is hardly working. it is obvious though that they r only interested in pay cheques.
As all of them are waging war against Allah SWT and Rasul allah SAS by spreading FASAD on earth, all of them either be killed, crucified,their limbs amputated from the opposite direction or banished from land in accordance with the Quran
S M HASAN I WANT TO ASK YOU JUST ONE THING IF YOU SAID NORMAL EXECUTIVE SALARY IS 500,000 NOT A BIG DEAL. SO TELL ME ONE THING WHAT ARE EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES? ARE THEY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS JOB? ARE THEY SOLVING OUR ELECTRICITY PROBLEMS? if not then they are not deserve for these kind of posts.
I visited a sugar mill in sindh in connection of my business, one of the employee told me that a worker of the mill was chewing the sugarcan in mill area (eating of sugarcan in mill premises is not allowed) the GM of mill caught him redhanded and asked Why are you eating Sugarcan?? "Tu Khay Kair tu Jhalay, Tu bhee Kha" the innocent worker replied. KESC="Tu Khay Kair tu Jhalay, Tu bhee Kha" (Who is stoping you, you can eat too).
Regards
Venture Capitalist Company always does these things with there employees/stake holders to increase there share values , next six month of time surely we will be dealing with new face in KESC.
God save our souls.
labour union aaj badmashiyon k urooj per ha iss na kesc ka kafi had tak
nuqsan kar dia ha aur mazid nuqsan pohunchaney ma lage hoey ha hokomat
ye sub dekh kar bhi kuch nahi kar rahi jitna nuqsan pohchaya ha uss ko
char hisson ma taqsim kar dia jaey to ye aik hissa bhi tamam kesc labor
ki salary se ziada qimat rakhta ha hokomat iss nuqsan ka azala kesey karey gi .
iss mahine karachi k log kesc labor union ki badmashyon ki waja se bill hasil na kar
sakey average billing ki mad ma izafi bojh para ha ye sub labor union ki waja se ha
aur ye apni takhribi karwai jari rakhey hoey ha hokomat sub dekh rahi ha koy
action nahi le rahi .
On one hand KESC is making lot of noise about line losses due to theft whereas they themselves legalise kundas by issuing bills around Rs.800-1000. In my neighbourhood 6 houses are under construction, using heavy grinders, cutters etc and paying bill of only Rs.1,000
They all are theives including employees.
What the article does not talk about is people misusing the system for their own purpose. 4000 employees includes mostly non-technical staff. This includes people who were recruited due to political contacts even before Abraj came. If their is a position for a single Gardner, they employed 5 for the same position. Moreover these gardeners take fake overtime to earn extra bit of cash. I know a Gardner earning 75,000 Rs a month with this scam. Also you need to understand these people get 60 holidays a year which carry on the next year. Their are numerous cases where people accumulated their holidays and went for vacations for a year and started working somewhere else. The union is now resorting to violence and destroying equipment, vans and torturing employees coming to work. The whole point is KESC are not legally bound to keep them so whats the whole cry about. Each person is getting a minimum of 7 lakh golden handshake which goes upto 50 lakh. These people are fraudulent who misused the system. I am an employee of KESC where i see these crooks everyday who got nothing to do with the betterment of people of karachi and are now resorting to ghundagardi.
Faisal Khan · 20 hours ago
Corruptions in Bilions of Rupees for Personal Gains: The KESC Abraj Management is indulged in High Corruptions against KESC's own, Customer Interests and against Govt. Interests. The Feeder Charging Policy dated 28/04/2004, continued again through a Policy Circular Dated 15/10/2009 By the Director New Connections M. Siddique ( Pak Navy Retired Commodore) from the New Applicants of Loads less than 2400 kW, was openly violated, getting Bribes from the Multistoried owners. Further the effect of Policy was reduced by introducing the Load Factor, for their own satisfaction that they are not violating Policy. The Owners don't know the Story, as the higher management is fully Ready to terminate and made more than service terminations to Colonal Saqi ( Murdered), for reporting this Story. I reported a case Al Tijarah, a Multistory in PECHS Block 06 PECHS Karachi on 27/10/2010, in Good Faith, which kept out from the KESC for a Long Time.
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Wow you got to this now?!?!?!?
I always had a very good idea I’d what was happening in most of the government owned organizations.. Or even semi government, semi private, even superficial private organization.
But coming up with all the exact names and figures is indeed remarkable bit sad is that it won’t change a thing! Sigh!!!
Mr. S_M_Hasan
I see your point that if one is competent then he/she should be paid regardless of his affliation.
I just ask you one thing can you get and post the salaries and designations of these people mentioned in article before gettting appointed in KESC and lets see how right they are.
If one was getting say 50K and now suddenly getting 500K then there is something fishy there. What do u say?
I have read the comments of mr sami ,I tottaly disagree with the comments ,the KESC was privitise in 2005 and as per agreement no downsizing ,or lay off could be under taken with in a period of SEVEN years and no any increased in electricity rate should be allowed for SEVEN years ,more over in 2009 KESC managment request NEPRA that about 7640 empolyees are excees ,and we have no money to pay them ,if Rs 0.15/paisa per unit increas in tarrif maybe allowed,then no any worker would be lay off till 2016 .and NEPRA allow kesc to increase the tarrif in 2009,and kesc have earned more then 02 billion rupees in this regard ,it is also to be manstion that from 2005 to till date kesc has increased the tarrif more than 300%,workers are getting salares from 15000 to 30000 ,you could not prove a single worker getting salary worth Rs 75000 ,its my challenge to you ,
Over 2200',000 consumers of k e s c. Consumers are being over billed by company. But non of these consumers are go for correction but they pay any bill charge by kesc which is a not meter read bill .Thats why kesc showrring huge amounts on non electric related peoples. kesc has a capecity of 1500 M W but genrating only 700MW which is resulting a big load shedding on karachi ies. It is a totaly self made load shedding by kesc . And a bi……..g profit has being earning by this blak elephent K E S C .
Not true about shahbaz beg. He resigned due to some of the things mentioned in article. My appointment had nothing to do with mqm or my mother. I can prove it. If u need truth email me and I can tell you. I resigned almost two years ago due to wrong management decisions.
Corruptions in Bilions of Rupees for Personal Gains: The KESC Abraj Management is indulged in High Corruptions against KESC's own, Customer Interests and against Govt. Interests. The Feeder Charging Policy dated 28/04/2004, continued again through a Policy Circular Dated 15/10/2009 By the Director New Connections M. Siddique ( Pak Navy Retired Commodore) from the New Applicants of Loads less than 2400 kW, was openly violated, getting Bribes from the Multistoried owners. Further the effect of Policy was reduced by introducing the Load Factor, for their own satisfaction that they are not violating Policy. The Owners don't know the Story, as the higher management is fully Ready to terminate and made more than service terminations to Colonal Saqi ( Murdered), for reporting this Story. I reported a case Al Tijarah, a Multistory in PECHS Block 06 PECHS Karachi on 27/10/2010, in Good Faith, which kept out from the KESC for a Long Time.
Col. Saqi was the doubtful to the KESC Management, regarding information of the Corruptions in the New Connections Department, to the higher Management through a unanimous E- Mail account""[email protected]"", after his officially submitted reports were denied by his bosses in the KESC Inteligence Department. He was very much happy to get rewards by reporting the KESC Feeder Policy Violations against KESC itself, Govt. and the customer interests. Further, the new info by Faisal Khan above indicates the HR actions in terminating Faisal Khan in March, then getting him back on a great source, with political pressure in Dec 2011, inspite he was honest, reported corruption in same one case, which were initially reported by Col Saqi. Now he is out of New Connections Department and the management letting, the old corrupt legacy, washing their hands on a new Feeder contribution Policy, which is also not acceptable to NEPRA, After above 27/10 /2010, corruption report by Faisal Khan, New Connections Officials were in hurry to contact with NEPRA for getting a refusal reply ( regarding feeder contribution at < 2400 kW applied loads) from NEPRA , which they succeeded to prove them from NEPRA, that feeder charges were not due over loads below 2400 kW cases ( against prevailing feeder policy dt. 28/04/2004, further circulated for continuation on DT.15/10 2009, but repeatedly violated by them in many cases) NEPRA Record shows KESC contacts in this matter after 27/10/2010. However the actions taken against Faisal Khan an honest GM shows involvement of KESC Head HR Group Asir Manzur. Further that he is again in the KESC but removed from New Connections Deptt. There is a big Chain envolved in above , every one who speaks against Corruptions is terminated by irrational charges against him.
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