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Senate panel meeting: ANP senator, state minister trade barbs
By Our CorrespondentPublished: October 12, 2013
Senator Zahid Khan blames Abid Sher Ali for using abusive language against Pashtuns.
Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Zahid Khan hit out at the minister of state for water and power, Abid Sher Ali, accusing him of using abusive language against ‘Pashtuns’, calling them ‘power thieves’.
“You disregarded the people who give you cheap electricity,” said Senator Zahid during a meeting of the Senate standing committee on water and power on Friday. He was referring to the Tarbela Dam, the biggest hydroelectric power plant of the country which is in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The most outspoken minister shot back: “I will say whatever the reality is”. However, Zahid rebuffed him: “Don’t come to the committee’s meetings if you don’t have manners.” There are power theft cases in the entire country, but you only pinpoint the Pashtuns, a visibly angry Zahid said.
The ANP senator also grilled the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for not constructing four grid stations in K-P.
“We have been sending recommendations for constructing these grid stations but they [Wapda] are continuously ignoring it,” said the chairman committee.
Meanwhile, the National Transmission and Dispatch Corporation (NTDC) failed to satisfy the Senate committee over charges of irregularities in the tendering of transmission lines of the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project.
The panel had objected to the award of contract of the project to a Chinese company without following the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.
NTDC’s managing director gave a briefing over the project, but failed to satisfy the committee over the award of the contract. The committee stated that there was question mark on the transparency in awarding the contract, which never followed the PRRA rules.
Senator Khalida Perveen said that despite the payment of Rs480 billion circular debt, consumers were still being subjected to long-hour power outages.
Abid Sher Ali said the government was planning to introduce legislation aimed at strengthening the electricity theft-related laws. The committee members appreciated the government’s crackdown against power thieves, saying that the entire nation was with the government in this regard.
Senate panel meeting: ANP senator, state minister trade barbs – The Express Tribune
Senator Zahid, Abid Sher trade abuses over electricity theft issue
Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Zahid Khan and State Minister for Water & Power Abid Sher Ali exchanged abuses after the latter blamed Pashtuns for electricity theft. According to details, during a meeting of Senate’s Standing Committee for Water and Power on Friday, Senator Zahid Khan and Abid Sher Ali exchanged hot words when the state minister alleged that Pashtuns were involved in power theft. The ANP senator asked Abid Sher Ali to avoid such blames upon which the state minister said he was not blaming but placing the real facts and figures. Abid Sher Ali also asked Khan to avoid politicking in the committee meeting and to play role for stopping electricity theft instead. Upon the altercation between the two, representative of Sindh stood up and criticised both members, saying in each and every meeting, the KP issue was discussed and the committee had no concern about Sindh and its people. He stressed upon the need of discussing issues faced by Sindh province as well. After intervention by other members of the standing committee, the issue was brought under control and all members took their seats.
- See more at:
Senator Zahid, Abid Sher trade abuses over electricity theft issue | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia
*There have recently been angry reactions from both Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Sindh with Punjab's refusal to supply them with different things.
Pakistan is a federation but the component units of the federation do not have the legal right to secede. The federal government and army would never permit any referendum on secession as Britain is doing with Scotland. If any attempt to secede is made the Pakistan army will carry out massacres as they did in east Pakistan (Bangladesh) in 1971.
By Our CorrespondentPublished: October 12, 2013
Senator Zahid Khan blames Abid Sher Ali for using abusive language against Pashtuns.
Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Zahid Khan hit out at the minister of state for water and power, Abid Sher Ali, accusing him of using abusive language against ‘Pashtuns’, calling them ‘power thieves’.
“You disregarded the people who give you cheap electricity,” said Senator Zahid during a meeting of the Senate standing committee on water and power on Friday. He was referring to the Tarbela Dam, the biggest hydroelectric power plant of the country which is in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The most outspoken minister shot back: “I will say whatever the reality is”. However, Zahid rebuffed him: “Don’t come to the committee’s meetings if you don’t have manners.” There are power theft cases in the entire country, but you only pinpoint the Pashtuns, a visibly angry Zahid said.
The ANP senator also grilled the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for not constructing four grid stations in K-P.
“We have been sending recommendations for constructing these grid stations but they [Wapda] are continuously ignoring it,” said the chairman committee.
Meanwhile, the National Transmission and Dispatch Corporation (NTDC) failed to satisfy the Senate committee over charges of irregularities in the tendering of transmission lines of the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project.
The panel had objected to the award of contract of the project to a Chinese company without following the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.
NTDC’s managing director gave a briefing over the project, but failed to satisfy the committee over the award of the contract. The committee stated that there was question mark on the transparency in awarding the contract, which never followed the PRRA rules.
Senator Khalida Perveen said that despite the payment of Rs480 billion circular debt, consumers were still being subjected to long-hour power outages.
Abid Sher Ali said the government was planning to introduce legislation aimed at strengthening the electricity theft-related laws. The committee members appreciated the government’s crackdown against power thieves, saying that the entire nation was with the government in this regard.
Senate panel meeting: ANP senator, state minister trade barbs – The Express Tribune
Senator Zahid, Abid Sher trade abuses over electricity theft issue
Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Zahid Khan and State Minister for Water & Power Abid Sher Ali exchanged abuses after the latter blamed Pashtuns for electricity theft. According to details, during a meeting of Senate’s Standing Committee for Water and Power on Friday, Senator Zahid Khan and Abid Sher Ali exchanged hot words when the state minister alleged that Pashtuns were involved in power theft. The ANP senator asked Abid Sher Ali to avoid such blames upon which the state minister said he was not blaming but placing the real facts and figures. Abid Sher Ali also asked Khan to avoid politicking in the committee meeting and to play role for stopping electricity theft instead. Upon the altercation between the two, representative of Sindh stood up and criticised both members, saying in each and every meeting, the KP issue was discussed and the committee had no concern about Sindh and its people. He stressed upon the need of discussing issues faced by Sindh province as well. After intervention by other members of the standing committee, the issue was brought under control and all members took their seats.
- See more at:
Senator Zahid, Abid Sher trade abuses over electricity theft issue | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia
*There have recently been angry reactions from both Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Sindh with Punjab's refusal to supply them with different things.
Pakistan is a federation but the component units of the federation do not have the legal right to secede. The federal government and army would never permit any referendum on secession as Britain is doing with Scotland. If any attempt to secede is made the Pakistan army will carry out massacres as they did in east Pakistan (Bangladesh) in 1971.