Joint opposition in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday announced not to attend ANP called All Parties Conference (APC) unjustified scheduled power outages in the province, vowed that to launch anti-load shedding campaign soon after Ramazan. The decision to boycott APC was taken at a joint meeting of all opposition parties except PML-Q held with opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani in the chair, where it was firmly decided that the attending the APC as waste of time.
Later, while addressing a press conference said the Opposition Leader in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Akram Khan Durrani here at Opposition chamber. Other leaders of opposition parties including PPP-Sherpao provincial President, Sinkandar Sherpao, PML-N provincial General Secretary, Rahmat Salam, JUI-F secretary information, Jalil Jan, and Attaur Rehman were also present during the joint opposition parties meeting.
Akram Durrani said that they had also contacted Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to join their boycott from the APC, added that both the leaders were assured them not to attend ANP called APC. "The ruling ANP government had made contacts with all opposition parties to invite in the APC, but apparently ANP is doing all this, therefore, no representatives were part of delegation of ANP, he informed.
Though, he said its true energy crisis and load shedding a national issue, but oppotion is always supported the ruling government on public issues. But, the issue was created over night, for which opposition parties time and again raised issue at the assembly floor for last four years, he maintained.
Durrani said that no respite for masses due to prolonged power outages in different parts of the province, after which angry power protesters besieged the houses of elected representatives. He said ANP called APC aimed to gain political scoring as it is election year.
After the consensus, he informed that all opposition parties had unanimously decided not to attend the ANP called APC scheduled on August 09. Despite the announcement the government no load shedding during Iftar and Sehri, he said that unscheduled load shedding from 12 to 18 hours is being carried out in the province.
Regarding the net hydro profit, he said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had just received 2 billion out of total Rs 6 billion's amount. He said the government had announced a total amount of Rs 110 billion, which could be investing in the energy sector.
But over the past four years, he said no single penny had spent to launch any mega hydro-power generation project in the province. He further said that an amount of Rs 22 billion received on head of Oil and Gas royalty was not utilised properly. Durrani made the PPP-led coalition government responsible for prevailing energy crisis and other issues confronting the country.
To a query, he replied that they had made contacts with JI and PML-Q, expressed the hope that they would also not to attend the ANP called APC on August 09. He said the opposition parities would also devise action plan after convening the Assembly session on energy issue and load shedding.