ISLAMABAD: Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has accused the federal government of overbilling his province and threatened to stage a sit-in in Islamabad if the centre does not review the electricity bills.

Speaking at a news conference with Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan here on Thursday, Mr Shah categorically declared that the provincial government would not pay a single paisa until the disputed amount was reconciled first.

“It seems that they (the rulers) only fear sit-ins. If needed, we will hold a protest sit-in in Islamabad,” the provincial minister said. Later, he clarified that the PPP as a party would hold the sit-in and not the Sindh government.

Provincial minister calls for reconciliation of disputed amount; threatens to stage sit-in in Islamabad

The minister announced that the provincial government would take the matter to the court as well.

Mr Shah claimed that the provincial government had already paid Rs41 billion to the centre on account of electricity dues over the last five years, but the federal government was demanding Rs65bn more.

On the one hand, he said, the people of Sindh were suffering from the worst loadshedding and on the other they were being charged with exaggerated electricity rates.

Mr Shah claimed that during a meeting with him, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the presence of Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had agreed to reconcile the disputed amount. He alleged that since then, the federal government had not taken any step to resolve the issue.

The PPP leader said that Khawaja Asif was a “powerless minister” who had no control over affairs of his ministry. He alleged that electricity bills for Sindh were being prepared as per the wishes of the federal government and the minister, and not in accordance with meter readings.

He said that Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had already written a letter to the federal government, seeking control of the Hyderabad Electricity Supply Company (Hesco) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco).

Speaking on the occasion, Aitzaz Ahsan alleged that propaganda was being made against the Sindh government that it was not paying electricity bills. He said that funds were released overnight for development projects in Punjab, but hurdles were created in the release of similar funds to Sindh.

Mr Ahsan said the PPP had previously supported the democratic system and not the government. Now, he said, the PPP was not ready to come to the rescue of the government.

He predicted that the PML-N government would soon collapse due to its own deeds.

The Sindh finance minister also released some documents to the media showing what he called overbilling by Hesco and Sepco.

Mr Shah said the Sindh government had faced similar situations in the past as well. He said the outstanding dues of Hesco and Sepco up to June 2010 was Rs25.8bn, but at the time of reconciliation only 25 per cent of the dues were found to be correct.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015

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