July 11, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 14, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, July 10: Opposition members belonging to the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy on Monday submitted an adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat seeking a debate on the ongoing power crisis in Karachi.

ARD parliamentary secretary Izhar Amrohvi told Dawn that 11 members of the People’s Party Parliamentarians and the Pakistan Muslim League-N had signed the motion.

Through the motion, the ARD members expressed concern over the unannounced and prolonged load-shedding in Karachi, affecting the civic life.

“The load-shedding of electricity in Karachi has become a serious and continuous problem for the inhabitants, trade and industry, despite the assurance given by the concerned minister on the floor of the house that it would not happen any more,” the lawmakers said in the motion.

They said the people of Karachi had been suffering due to unannounced and long load-shedding in the city.

They asked the speaker to discuss the matter immediately after adjourning the normal proceedings.

The motion has been signed by PPP secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nawab Yusuf Talpur, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Naheed Khan, Sherry Rehman, Syed Khurshid Shah, Qamaruz Zaman Kaira and Fauzia Wahab of the PPP and Khwaja Mohammad Asif and Pervez Malik of the PML-N.

In the previous session of the National Assembly too, the opposition members had discussed the matter in detail during a debate on privatisation policy of the government.

Mr Amrohvi said Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaqat Jatoi had assured the house that he would look into the matter and that load-shedding would not be observed in Karachi any more.

However, he said, the crisis still persisted and the people of Karachi were holding protest demonstrations. He expressed the fear that the power crisis in Karachi could trigger serious law and order problem for the government.