KARACHI: The Pak Sarzameen Party warned on Sunday that it would stage a protest demonstration against the K-Electric and said prolonged loadshedding in this hot and humid weather by the KE despite surplus power supply was a conspiracy against the provincial metropolis.

Speaking at a press conference here at the party’s Pakistan House headquarters, PSP leader and former Karachi deputy mayor Dr Arshad Vohra along with Shabbir Kaimkhani and Hafeezuddin lashed out at the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, saying the KE operated under the federal government and the PTI’s Karachi protest against the KE was a protest against their own government. He was referring to the PTI sit-in outside the KE head office.

The leaders alleged that the KE was lying to the nation about facing a power shortfall.

They said that Karachi had a total demand of 3,300MW and 4,000MW was being supplied to the KE system that included 2,920MW by Hubco, Port Qasim Coal Power 1,320MW, Kanupp 137MW, Thar Coal 660MW to Karachi from the national grid, Gul Ahmed 126MW, Tapal 136MW, and some 99MW was being supplied from the windmill project.

They said the PTI, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Peoples Party had miserable failed in Karachi and their elected representatives were even not known to the people of their respective constituencies.

Kamal sees RAW behind recent terrorist attacks in metropolis

They asked the National Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to look into the complaints against the KE.

Dr Vohra demanded that the government allow industries to install at least 12 power plants each with installed capacity of 50MW. He said that if the KE did not act as a responsible power utility, the PSP would stage a “massive” protest against it.

‘RAW behind Karachi terror attacks’

Earlier, speaking via video link to a workers’ convention, PSP chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said the transmission and distribution system of the KE was in a poor shape as no new transmission line had been laid and no new grid stations set up.

“Arif Naqvi, the owner of the KE, is a friend of Prime Minister Imran Khan and probably this is the factor behind their poor performance,” he said.

Speaking about the recent terrorist attacks in Karachi, he claimed that Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was behind the attacks.

He said that the MQM-Pakistan was still close to party founder Altaf Hussain and that’s why they did not say even a single word against him.

Criticising the PTI and the PPP, he said Israel and India together could not have damaged the PIA as the federal aviation minister did that even Ethiopian Airlines had banned Pakistani pilots from flying.

JI warning

Earlier on Saturday night, city chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warned that his party would stage a sit-in outside the head office of the KE, Chief Minister House and Governor House as well as it would close Sharea Faisal for vehicular traffic if power supply situation in the metropolis was not improved.

Addressing a big protest sit-in on Sharea Faisal near Nursery, Hafiz Naeem called upon the authorities to immediately cancel the licence of the KE and re-nationalise it.

He demanded that the government withdraw the recent Rs3 per unit hike in the electricity tariff.

He stressed the need for a forensic audit of the KE after its privatisation.

Hafiz Naeem said the JI had set up a monitoring cell at its Karachi headquarters.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2020