KARACHI: Provincial Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh on Thursday informed the Sindh Assembly that injustice was being done with the people of Sindh as 18-hour electricity loadshedding was being carried out across the province, adding that the provincial government was ready to take control of power distribution companies Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) on its own terms and conditions for betterment of the people.

He was responding to a calling-attention notice of Grand Democratic Alliance’s Arif Mustafa Jatoi.

Mr Shaikh said that the provincial government was involved only in coal mining under public-private partnership and had nothing to do with electricity production and its transmission.

“They (opposition members) don’t know about procedures and come up with unnecessary questions,” he added, apparently pointing his finger at the GDA member.

Mr Jatoi said that as the provincial government was already engaged in coal mining, electricity production and its transmission, it would not be convenient for it to take over distribution too.

Mr Jatoi said that the federation was ready if the provincial government wanted to carry out electricity distribution.

Judicial reforms

Responding to another calling-attention notice, Minister Shaikh said that the provincial government would soon bring judicial and legal reforms to take criminals and terrorists to task.

The notice was moved by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Arsalan Taj.

The energy minister on behalf of the law department said that judgements of the cases depended upon statements of witnesses and FIRs. “What would the judges do, if a witness does not turn up to record his statement?” he asked.

Mr Shaikh rejected the PTI lawmaker’s stance that many culprits were acquitted due to faulty prosecution and said that it might have happened in a few cases.

The PTI member was of the view that criminals especially terrorists found a safe haven in cases when the prosecution presented weak arguments against those involved in destabilising the law and order situation across the province.

He said that criminals and terrorists were acquitted due to weak prosecution, adding that notorious Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch was acquitted in four terrorism cases during last week. “The joint investigation team had found Uzair Baloch guilty of many heinous crimes. Are there some people who are providing shelter to him (Uzair Baloch)?,” he asked.

The PTI MPA said that prosecution’s witnesses against Rao Anwar turned hostile as they had no protection.

He said that the provincial assembly had passed a Witnesses Protection Act but the same was not implemented as yet.

School for differently-abled children

Shahnawaz Jadoon of PTI on his calling-attention notice said that there was no government school for special children, including hearing-impaired and visually-impaired students, in Karachi.

He said that urgent steps were required for establishment of the schools.

The PTI member recommended that two or three rooms in every public school should be allocated along with specialised teachers to teach special children.

In his response, the energy minister said that the chief minister’s special assistant for differentially abled persons had taken measures for special children but there was still need to do a lot more.

Speaking on his calling-attention notice, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s Syed Abdul Rasheed said that parked motorbikes were being lifted in Karachi especially from Tower to Empress Market by unauthorised persons through private labourers.

He alleged that the operation was being carried out under ‘supervision’ of the traffic police.

The energy minister replied that the police could lift illegally parked bikes and cars under the laws.

He, however, assured Mr Rasheed that proper mechanism would be devised in a meeting with police authorities.

An adjournment motion, regarding prolonged gas loadshedding, moved by Shazia Javed of PPP was also admitted for discussion during the proceedings.

Question Hour

Replying to a question, Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu explained that market committee of the New Sabzi Mandi in Karachi consisted of a panel of 18 members for undertaking all operations of the vegetable market.

He said the same committee performed different jobs, including cleanliness of the market, under observation of appointed stakeholders to monitor all cleanliness activities.

Responding to another question, he said presently one cane inspector was working in the office of cane commissioner of Sindh while the sanctioned strength of the post of cane inspectors was 12.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2021