LAHORE, Oct 11: The Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) informed the Lahore High Court on Thursday that Rs24 billion had been paid to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and loadshedding had been curtailed significantly.

The Pepco, through its counsel Advocate Khwaja Tariq Rahim, told the court the government was utilising its available resources to control loadshedding and enhancing its capability to produce electricity. Strict action was being taken against power theft and administrative affairs of the power sector were being systematised, he added.

After hearing Pepco’s stance, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked that the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) had controlled loadshedding through its better performance and mechanism.

The chief justice observed that similar performance should be followed in Punjab. He said the load management should also be applied on those housing societies exempted from loadshedding.

He adjourned further hearing till Nov 1, and directed the Pepco to submit a detailed report about the steps taken to control unscheduled loadshedding.

The chief justice was hearing a petition against unscheduled loadshedding filed by Judicial Activism Panel Chairman Advocate Azhar Siddique.

It was submitted that Punjab was being subjected to discrimination and given a less electricity share. The petitioner said in other provinces, power theft was at large scale and bill recovery at low even then Punjab was being victimised in the load management plan.

He pointed out that the power production was being affected due to non-recovery of bills from other provinces.

Indian prisoner

The Lahore High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the federal government on a petition seeking shifting of an Indian prisoner from the Central Jail to a guest house.

Advocate Awais Sheikh filed the petition and submitted that Bhavesh Parmar Kantilal had completed his sentence in 2010, but was still confined in the jail.

He said the detention beyond awarded punishment of any prisoner was illegal, unlawful and against the principles of natural justice.

The lawyer submitted that the interior secretary should be directed to set Kantilal free and repatriate him to India. He also prayed that since Kantilal was an engineer and completed his sentence, therefore, he should be shifted to a guest house till his repatriation to homeland.

Advocate Sheikh pointed out that a Pakistani prisoner, Sikandar-i-Azam, who had completed his jail term in India was shifted to a guest house of Delhi on the direction of the Indian Supreme Court.

After hearing the initial arguments, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik sought a reply from the federal government and adjourned hearing for a date to be fixed by the registrar office.

More petitions

The Lahore High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Future Concern chief executive and others on two more petitions accusing the firm of depriving them of their millions of rupees on a promise to send them abroad.

Petitioners Asif Ali Burni and Shahida Parveen pleaded, through their counsels, they gave millions of rupees to Asim Malik to go abroad, but he neither sent them abroad nor returned their money.

They prayed to the court to order the authorities to take action against the firm and get their money recovered.

Justice Syed Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi issued notices to the respondents for Oct 15.

Several identical petitions were already pending before the judge and arrest warrants for Asim Malik had been issued for not appearing before the court.

Following the court order, the Federal Investigation Agency had also registered cases against Malik on the complaints of petitioners.