Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is fully aware of the negative consequences of continued power shortages on their electoral fortunes in the next general elections. President's Spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar told Business Recorder on Saturday that although there are historical reasons for this shortage the Party also realises that it is the responsibility of the government to address it effectively.
He said, 'the government's and party policies in this field are guided by the consideration that it will have a huge impact on the elections.' Answering another question, Babar said that the government is taking the issue of power crisis in the country very seriously and taking measures to resolve it. He said that the latest demonstration of its seriousness can be gauged from the fact that on Thursday due to a sudden drop in generation due to breakdown, the President cancelled all his engagements and convened an emergency meeting of relevant ministers and officials.
"A major decision taken by the government pertains to addressing issue of circular debt. The government has decided to float TFCs worth 82 billion rupees to resolve the problem of circular debt," he said. He said that a number of power projects are in the pipe line and we hope that soon they will be on line to considerably reduce load shedding. It has also been decided that no unscheduled load shedding to be resorted, Babar said.
PPP member of the National Assembly Syed Zafar Ali told Business Recorder that if load shedding in the country continues on the scale of today then it would have serious negative consequences on the party's political fortunes in the forthcoming general elections.
Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), a major partner of the PPP-government, has also threatened to quit the ruling alliance if it does not resolve the issue of load shedding within three days. PML-Q Secretary Information Senator Kamal Ali Agha said that his party is not going to become part of the government's incompetence anymore. "If the government does not take measures to resolve the problem of load shedding within three days, we will straight away walk out of the coalition," he said.
Colonel Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) said that his party raised the issue of loadshedding in the Parliament and has pressured the government to resolve it immediately. He said that his party raised the issue of massive load shedding in the Upper House of the parliament and urged the government to resolve it immediately.
Mashhadi said that MQM leaders have held separate meetings on lead shedding with President Asif Ali Zardari and Minster for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar and they were assured that the issue would be resolved within a week. For this purpose, the government has already released Rs 8 billion to alleviate inter circular debt, he said.
Mashhadi said, "We will always raise the problems of the people and try to pressurise the government to resolve them." He said that the problem of load shedding in the country is due to bad governance of the government including incompetence, mismanagement and lack of merit.
Senior Vice President of Awami National Party (ANP) Haji Muhammad Adeel said that 4000 MW to 5000 MW electricity is being generated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while the demand of his province is only 1500 MW. In spite of these statistics the people of his province, he added, are facing load shedding. He said that government is facing many problems including circular debt, line losses, theft, subsidy to discos on tariff differential etc to overcome load shedding and keep prices affordable.
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