HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Sunday organised a Sindh-wide protest against the federal government for what it believes creating a water and power crisis in the province.

PPP Activists and supporters staged a two-hour sit-in outside the Wapda offices complex (the headquarters of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company) in Hussainabad against 18 to 20 hours a day power outages. The protesters raised slogans against the federal government, Wapda, Hesco and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and demanded an immediate end to unscheduled power loadshedding, a drastic curtailment in the approved loadshedding regime, release of Sindh’s share in the irrigation water, etc.

MNA Sattar Bachani and Imdad Pitafi from Tando Allahyar, CM’s special assistant Jabbar Khan, MPAs Sadiq Memon from Thatta, Ali Nawaz Chandio and Mir Allah Bukhsh Talpur from Badin, Syed Aijaz Shah from Tando Mohammed Khan, Sikandar Shoro from Jamshoro and Hyderabad division leaders Zahid Bhurgari, Dr Tahseen Sheikh, Fayyaz Shah, Aftab Khanzada and others led the protest.

Some activists pelted Hesco headquarters with stones but without causing any major damage to the property. In their speeches, PPP leaders criticised the federal government’s attitude towards Sindh and said it had forced the PPP to raise its voice. They said the unfair treatment being meted out to the Sindh people had brought unbearable miseries to them.

They urged the PML-N to fulfil its promises made to the Sindh people during its election campaign. They said that the urban and rural areas of Sindh had been experiencing 18 to 20 hours of power outages these days but the federal government was not taking any measures to provide any relief to them.

The outages, they added, had created a water crisis across the province.

It seemed that the federal government was punishing the Sindh people for not voting for the PML-N.

Mirpurkhas

PPP Mirpurkhas division organised a rally which was taken out the party’s office to condemn unannounced power loadshedding in the province.

Led by MPA Khairunnisa Mughal and former MPA Shamim Ara Panhwar, the participants marched through various roads and streets before converging on the local press club.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the federal government, Wapda and Hesco, the participants raised slogans against the PML-N government and the ministry of water and power.

MPA Mughal said that water and power crises had forced people to take to the streets.

She demanded immediate measures by the ministry through Wapda to bring an end to the crises.

Nawabshah

Senator Aajiz Dhamrah, CM’s Adviser Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, PPP Shaheed Benazirabad district president Ali Akbar Jamali, Rashid Chandio and others led a demonstration outside the Hesco office in Nawabshah to protest excessive power loadshedding in the district.

Speaking to the participants, they said unannounced loadshedding of many hours in addition to the scheduled outages was great injustice with the people of Sindh.

They accused the federal authorities of discriminating against the province which was badly affecting the lives of its citizens.

They warned the federal government of an intensified campaign if adequate power supply to the province was not ensured.

Umerkot

Several hundred PPP activists and supporters held a demonstration outside the local press club against unavailability of electricity in most urban and rural areas of Umerkot district. Sued Ali Mardan Shah said the federation had never taken measures for socio-economic uplift of Sindh, and alleged that under a conspiracy the people of Sindh were being pushed to poverty through denial of essential utilities like water and power to them.

Sindh Minister for Population Welfare Syed Ali Mardan Shah and MPA Syed Sardar Ali Shah spoke to the protesters, who raised slogans against the federal government and water and power utilities.

The leaders said that unannounced outages in Umerkot had increased up to 16 hours a day which had drastically affected the routine life and livelihoods of citizens.

Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that under the 18th constitutional amendment, Wapda was supposed to be given under the control of the Council of Common Interests but it was being opposed by the federal ministry of water and power.

Shikarpur

A large number of people held a rally at Rusta, Chowk in Shikarpur against power crisis in Sindh.

Speaking to the protesters, local activists said that power supply to consumers had been restricted to a few hours a day which had made the life miserable. The outages had also badly affected water supply due to closure of pumping stations.

The city, they said, was also facing gas loadshedding for quite some time.

They appealed to the federal authorities to take emergency measures to cope with the situation.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2014