By By Ansar Abbasi
These include such luminaries as former interim president and ex-chairman Senate Wasim Sajjad; ex-caretaker prime minister and ex-chairman Senate Muhammadmian Soomro; ex-chairman of the disbanded Ehtesab Bureau and former senator Saifur Rehman; Corps Commander Gujranwala and ex-DG ISI Lt Gen Nadeen Taj and others.
Inquiry into the Chak Shahzad power scam by Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) took up General Musharraf’s case separately from all others including 34 cases of consumers found using illegal electricity tariff and 14 cases where irregularity in billing was found due to technical fault in meters.
The IESCO though issued a press release on the subject on Wednesday, revealing only 34 cases of misuse of power tariff whereas the company neither reflected on Musharraf’s case nor shared with the public the 14 cases where, according to IESCO’s own words “irregularity in billing was found due to technical fault in meters”.
Sources, however, provided to The News not only the details of these 14 cases as reflected in the inquiry report but also revealed who amongst the influential are hiding behind the ordinary names as appeared in the IESCO’s subscribers list.
In the category of 14 cases where, according to IESCO, irregularity in billing was found due to technical fault in meters, the prominent consumers include Lt General Nadeem Taj, whose farmhouse C-16A has got a defective meter. The paper shows his name as Nadeem Taj. The General’s farmhouse is adjacent to the farmhouse of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, who interestingly has been given clean chit by the inquiry report. Aziz’s caretaker Sher Khan when contacted on his mobile phone confirmed that Lt General Nadeem Taj is their next door neighbour but rarely visits the farmhouse.
The name of Nadeem Taj is also reflected against plot No 7-A which is found to have dead meter but it could not be confirmed whether he is a different individual or not.
Amongst the 14 cases, one also finds farmhouse No C-6, where lives the former caretaker prime minister Muhammadmian Soomro. The name of the subscriber as reflected in the IESCO record is Malik Surab who is Soomro’s brother-in-law. The chairman Senate office when contacted also confirmed Soomro’s address as C-6, which interesting is also reflected in the category of those using illegal power tariff. In that case, however, the power connection was provided in the name of Sardar Muhammad Ishaq and according to the inquiry report power tariff D-2(47) is being used for domestic consumption.
Amongst those using illegal power tariff there also appears farmhouse No 12-A, which is owned by former interim president and ex-chairman Senate Wasim Sajjad. He too uses agriculture tariff. The power connection installed reflects the name of Wasim Sajjad’s wife Mrs Azra Sarfaraz Sajjad. The address and the name of the lady were also confirmed by The News from Wasim Sajjad’s residence.
Farmhouse No 10-B, where former Senator Saifur Rehman’s brothers live, too is found to have been using wrong tariff. The name of the subscriber in the IESCO’s record in this case is Ahmad Touqeer Naqvi.
Farmhouse No 3-B, reportedly owned by a former senator who runs a visa facilitation business, is also found using illegal tariff. Others, the actual owners of these farmhouses, include retired civilian and military officers and influential businessmen including one Hamid Mir, who is the name sake of senior journalist and Geo’s anchorperson. Most people mix up Hamid Mir, the journalist, with Hamid Mir the businessman.
Meanwhile IESCO issued the following press release on Wednesday: “Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) completed inquiry of Chak Shahzad farmhouses as directed by PEPCO and has submitted report to the competent Authority.
“According to IESCO spokesman, in this regard 552 connections were checked and found 34 consumers using illegal electricity tariff without bringing into notice to IESCO according to their requirement.
“These 34 consumers of Chak Shahzad farmhouses are, Sajjad Hussain Plot No:48/A, Niaz Hussain Plot No:29, Tariq Mehmood Plot No:6, Humaira Ahmed Plot No:41/F, Bushra Khusnood Plot No:7, Muhammad Altaf Plot No:42, Raja Arshad Mehmud Plot No:12, Sultan Ashraf Plot No:27, Iqbal Hussain Plot No:28, Talat Shafi Plot No:67, Shaukat Ali Plot No:25, M/s Zenat Plot No:C-8, Dilshad Najam-ud-Din Plot No:C-9, Amjad Ali Plot No:37-B, Aizat Ali Plot No:20-B, Miss Mehmooda Ayub Plot No:13-A, Tariq Mehmood Plot No:12-B, Ambreen Haroon Plot No:8-A, Sardar Muhammad Ishaq Plot No:C-6, Iqbal Hussain Plot No:18, Haji Ghulam Rasool Plot No:3-B, Muhammad Younis Plot No:5-B, Syed Nazir Hussain Plot No:7-B, Iftikhar-ud-Din Khattak Plot No:12-B, Mrs. Azra Sarfaraz Sajjad Plot No:12-A, Arshid Sultan Plot No:26-A, Darkhshanda Raza Plot No:15-A, Majeed Hussain Plot No:16-A, Muhammad Zikria Plot No:34-A, Mrs. Ashraf Ayub Plot No:39-A, Lubna Masood Plot No:6, Ghulam Rasool Plot No:15, Ahmad Touqeer Naqvi Plot No:10-B, Mrs. Nuzhat Wahid Plot No:26-A.”
“Apart from above, 14 other cases were noticed where irregularity in billing was found due to technical fault in meters.”The spokesman said that notices for payment of difference of tariff since the date of connection are being issued to all 34 consumers whose tariff shows irregularity and this amount would be included in their June/July 2009 electricity bills for payment.
He further said that more 12 cases have also come into the notice where some ordinary type of irregularity was found which is also being rectified according to PEPCO rules. The spokesman further said departmental action has been initiated against IESCO employees according to IESCO/PEPCO/WAPDA rules whose involvement is found in all these irregularities so that in future such irregularities could be controlled.
The 14 cases that have not been made part of the IESCO’s press release but included in the inquiry report include Plot 41/A, subscriber name M Muzaffar, having meter 43% slow; C-6, Malik Surab, 2-PT (of connection meter) dead; 37-B, Sh Sakindar, meter defective; 33-A, Khalil Rehman, meter burnt; C-16A, Nadeem Taj, meter defective; 2-A, Shama Usman, meter sticking; 7-A, Nadeem Taj, meter dead; 31-B, M Ishaq Qurashi, phase polarity charged 66% slow; 7-A, Muhammad Hanif, read PT dead; 83, Durr-e-Najaf, meter dead stop; 24-B, Nabi Ahmed, blue PT Dead; 26-A Mrs Nizhat Wahid, meter body broken; 23-A, Miss Shana Askri, meter defective; and 16-B, Syed Ali Abbas, dead stop.