Top NTDC, NPCC officials suspended over power breakdown

E-Paper | March 02, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday suspended National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC)'s Managing Director Tahir Mahmood and General Manager of National Power Control Centre (NPCC) Mohammad Saleem over the massive nationwide power blackout on Jan 24.

According to a preliminary report submitted to the Ministry of Water and Power by the Managing Director of National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) Amjad A. Khan over the power breakdown on Jan 24, the aforesaid persons were responsible for the power breakdown.

A spokesman of the Ministry of Water and Power told Dawn that the acting in-charge of NTDC and NPCC will be announced by the board of directors of NTDC by evening today.

On Jan 24, Pakistan had been plunged into darkness after a key power transmission line broke down. The power failure, one of the worst the country has experienced, had caused electricity to be cut in major cities, including the federal capital.

Federal Secretary of Water and Power Younus Dagha had claimed that the countrywide power breakdown was caused by militants who had blown up two transmission towers in Balochistan a day before.

He had said the system could have been revived two hours earlier had the NTDC been able to provide 10MW for the start-up of its Bin Qasim plant. which could have helped Hubco to restart. He said that when machines are off for a long time they required time to revive.

Take a look: Govt blames sabotage for massive power breakdown

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aman

Jan 30, 2015 02:51pm

This proves it was gov. fault.

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Rameez Zafar

Jan 30, 2015 02:53pm

Poor officials axed for face saving. NTDC and NPCC officials have no powers nor they are allocated any budget to improve the reliability of system. Moreover the system might be transient proof but how can one make an electrical system 'blast proof'.

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nabil

Jan 30, 2015 02:55pm

No confidence what emergency measures, and someone is always there on hand to cover up the mess.

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Usman

Jan 30, 2015 03:02pm

Basically, incompetence at the top.

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Muhammad

Jan 30, 2015 03:03pm

Another wrong (criminal) decision by the govt. As a matter of fact those should have been suspended who appointed these gangsters who call themselves Engineers. These are commission agents of the politicians. Why Kh. Asif and Abid Sher didn't resign. And why those babus (joint secretaries) not suspended who are runnung power sector sitting in Islamabad without knowing any abc of how power system runs. And why not that joker advisor to PM on power sector was shown the door???

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Blister

Jan 30, 2015 03:47pm

Shareef badshahat always pins their incompetence on bureaucrats.

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Zeb

Jan 30, 2015 03:51pm

Always blame the bureaucracy rather than ministries... typical Sharif style of governance.

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noman

Jan 30, 2015 04:06pm

Well I never understood the meaning of 'suspended'.. common! put them behind the bars.. suspension will never hurt them.

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fady

Jan 30, 2015 04:08pm

Suspension Suspension and more suspensions? when we ever going to punish someone ? the day we did only then these incompetent will do whats in their job description.

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farhad

Jan 30, 2015 04:26pm

no wonder PM found two scapegoats.

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Moazzam Shafique

Jan 30, 2015 04:41pm

Feel sad for Mr. Tahir. He is indeed a very good and technically sound man - I know him and have met him personally a few times. Nothing he could have done to prevent those blackouts. Mr. Saleem, though, is incompetent and, hence, was playing in hands of someone who is not known to be good for the power system.

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Well Wisher

Jan 30, 2015 05:29pm

But NS Govt had put the blame on transmission lines/towers sabotage. So how come now comes sacking of senior officials of the NTDC and NPCC. This shows that in NS Govt hierarchy merit has no place. They are appointing mostly pliant officers as acting heads so that they do not dare take crucial important but unpleasant to Govt decisions.

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Naeem

Jan 30, 2015 05:47pm

Allah O Akbar. I know for sure Tahir Mahmood is neither corrupt nor incompetent. He is removed to be replaced by another croney

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Sohail

Jan 30, 2015 05:57pm

Why did they hire construction consultancy firm (NESPAK) to carry out investigations?

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Khurshid Anwar

Jan 30, 2015 07:53pm

PMLN should resign, it is not the fault of the individual who are fire.

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Junaid

Jan 30, 2015 08:10pm

perfect example of scape goats. Few weeks ago, Khawaja Saab said, it was due to militant in Balochistan. If that was the case, then why these 2 officials are fired. Same thing this govt. did with petroleum crises. They fired smaller officials whereas minister saab is still enjoying despite he apologized and owned up to the mistake. This govt. completely lacks accountability and proves time after time that they are not serious about anything. They are in the govt. just for money and their businesses.

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G.Qureshi

Jan 30, 2015 09:11pm

What about his favorite minister of Water and Electricity? He is the main culprit.

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Vijay

Jan 30, 2015 10:25pm

What about ministers responsible for such ministries? Only common ppl are always made an example.

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Niaz Ahmad

Jan 30, 2015 10:38pm

Merry go around. Again, Mian Sahib has fired scapegoats. Question? what is the job description of Minster's handling particular departments? Why the have not been fired? Tax Payer wants to know, why sacred cows have been protected? I believe, Mian Sahib is running his administration like last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and we must not forget his fame?

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Ahmer

Jan 30, 2015 10:40pm

Keep suspending so long as the real culprits close to Sharif dynasty are not touched nothing will change.

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prashant

Jan 30, 2015 10:44pm

Oh my God. .. please save Pakistan from her government. .. A friend from India. .. oh my dear brothers & sisters of Pakistan please root out such government. Why Pakistan failed in these 70 years...

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Niaz Ahmad

Jan 30, 2015 10:53pm

@prashant - India was lucky to had Leader like Nehru who eradicated Feudalism. By contrary in Pakistan unfortunately, we were inept to eradicate this mess, and that's the root cause of Country's not getting onto right track towards progress. Now what this mind set has done for last 70 years to block all resources to stop or reduce funding for EDUCATION. No country can be prosperous without this VITAL spending on EDUCATION.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Jan 31, 2015 12:51am

What else it can do?

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Cyrus Ho

Jan 31, 2015 12:56am

Bureaucrats do not exist to do their jobs, they exist to manage their careers day by day. When things go wrong they blame other departments. "I went by the book. It was not my fault." Anyone with a Masters of Business Administration from an accredited university could have done the forecasting to head off the problem of shortages. They would have been predicted ahead od schedule and product ordered in time to fill the gaps. There is also an industrial practice called JOT, or Just On Time ordering of parts, supplies and bulk commodities. Too much bribery and payoffs go on in Pakistan. Forecasting does not even enter the mix.

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Abdul Malik

Jan 31, 2015 05:49am

What about Khawan Abbasi and Kh Asif? Will they be sent home or they have the traditional protection of the Sharif brothers?

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Ashraf Choudhry

Jan 31, 2015 08:02am

Oh to accommodate cronies.

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