Loadshedding, agri water: PPP's planned protests to target federal government

Pakistan Peoples Party's planned May protests would target the federal government particularly with respect to heavy loadshedding and water releases for agriculture while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would focus on protesting against the shortcomings of the Sindh government including lack of drinking water and failure to pick up piling rubbish from the streets.
Talking to Business Recorder, PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the party is all set to stage a protest demonstration at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on Thursday (May 4) against the government for its failure to end loadshedding. Babar said that the incumbent government has miserably failed to end power loadshedding despite commitment to end power crisis within three months.
"Forget about three months as promised by Shahbaz Sharif, it has been well over three years since they are in power but there is no improvement in power crisis," Babar said. Referring to statements by Shahbaz Sharif during the tenure of the PPP-led coalition government that a PML-N government would end loadshedding in three months or else he would change his name Babar added "we have three names for Shahbaz Sharif, and one of his new names will be announced on May 4," he added.
He said that circular debt is increasing which is another failure of the government. "The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has already taken up the issue and we have demanded the PAC to go for a forensic audit of circular debt," he added. About the water issue in the province, he said that a Senate committee has been tasked to look into the matter which will submit its report within 15 days, and then the party will give its future line of action.
He also said that a countrywide protest will be launched against the government if it fails to resolve the burgeoning issue of loadshedding. "There is no option but to take to the street," he added. The leader of opposition in National Assembly Khurshid Shah had already raised the issue on the floor of the House. He said that water shortage in Sindh was being caused under a conspiracy to pitch the two provinces against each other.
He warned that such a conspiracy hatched by certain elements within the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and other institutions would inflict great loss to the country and federation.
Senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Dr Arif Alvi said that there is no option but to force out the corrupt leadership of Sindh provincial government as some PPP leaders are earning millions of rupees through tanker mafia. He said that the provincial government had registered FIRs against him and three MPAs of his party when they staged a protest against water issues in the province, adding if this remains the attitude of an elected government, there is no hope these issues will be solved.
"62 MNAs and MPAs are living in my constituency (Clifton), but not a single one of them is ready to raise voice against the provincial government. They remain silent because Sharjeel Memon, a former PPP MPA is part of the tanker mafia," said Alvi. He said that during Haqooq-e-Karachi rally, PTI chairman Imran Khan categorically warned federal and the provincial governments to resolve loadshedding and water scarcity - drinking water which is a provincial subject and agriculture water which is a federal subject - or else we will launch a movement against the two governments.
"Tanker mafia is earning billions of rupees and the leaders of the Sindh provincial government have shares in this, and that's why no one is ready to take action against the tanker mafias. We need to end these mafias," he maintained. To a question, he said that when you put things in order at home, you can raise other issues with the federal government, adding the provincial government is not serious about resolving the issue, and blaming the Centre is nothing but political point scoring.