February 18, 2003	Tuesday	Zul Hijjah 16, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) will give immunity to defence departments and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Government during its disconnection campaign to be launched against government organizations for non-payment of dues from February 18.

Speaking at a press conference held here on Monday, the Iesco chief executive, Brig Waseem Zafar, said the AJK government was the biggest defaulter in terms of power dues, but the supply to its departments would not be suspended.

Similarly, departments of army, navy and air force will be exempted during power disconnection drive, he added.

However, he did not explain as to why defence departments and the AJK government would get special treatment during the campaign. He said the defaulter government departments had to pay outstanding power dues amounting to Rs2.141 billion.

Brig Zafar said Iesco had decided to disconnect power supply to 13 big defaulters (all government departments) from Tuesday which owed it Rs1.3 billion.

As part of an accountability process within Iesco, he said, 67 officers, from BPS-17 to BPS-19, were removed from services on to corruption charges. In addition to this, 210 other staff members were also dismissed from their services on the same charges.

According to a data compiled by Iesco, defence departments are defaulters of Rs268.02 million as Military Engineering Services (MES), East Rawalpindi, has to pay power dues of Rs50.48 million; MES West Rawalpindi, Rs69.57 million; MES Services, Rawalpindi, Rs32.18 million; MES Murree, Rs27.12 million; MES Nowshera, Rs0.57 million; MES Attock, Rs6.22 million; MES Mangla, Rs17.46 million; MES Jhelum, Rs65.73 million; Pakistan Air Force, Rs14.58 million; Navy, Rs1.86 million; Joint Staff Headquarters, Rs5.57 million; ISI, Rs1.60 million; and Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, Rs8.26 million

Brig Zafar said several civil departments had to pay dues amounting to Rs1.873 billion. Public Works Department has to pay Rs60.1 million; science and technology ministry, Rs3.02 million; law ministry, Rs2.62 million; local government ministry, Rs2.34 million; food and agriculture ministry, Rs3.25 million; chief commissioner office, Islamabad, Rs2.78 million; health departments, Rs17.23 million; education department, Rs2.90 million; Geological Survey of Pakistan, Rs6.3 million; Pak Secretariat, Rs15.78 million; Civil Aviation Authority, Rs8.67 million; Tehsil Municipal Administration, Rawalpindi, Rs11.2 million; and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, Rs158.46 million.