QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over unjustified load-shedding across the province and issued show-cause notices to the chief secretary and principal secretary to the chief minister.
The court expressed displeasure during the hearing of a constitutional petition by a two-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Bareech and Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi.
Vice Chairman Balochistan Bar Council Rajab Khan Buledi Advocate filed the constitutional petition against Qesco chief executive officer and others.
The additional attorney general presented the written responses submitted on behalf of the chief secretary, CM’s principal secretary, and secretary energy. However, the court found the replies unsatisfactory, observing that the responsible officials had merely attempted to shift the blame on to the Nepra.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that Qesco’s report was nothing more than a manipulation of figures, disconnected from the on-ground realities.
He stated that approximately 613,522 active consumers in the province were using electricity, yet most districts received only two to three hours of supply daily, while the areas outside Quetta faced up to 18 hours of load-shedding daily — reflecting the power company’s inefficiency.
He further informed the court that even bill-paying consumers were being deprived of electricity, while no action had been taken against the illegal connections or defaulters.
The court remarked that the report presented by Qesco was non-transparent and incomplete, lacking clear details about actions against the illegal consumers or handling of complaints. The bench noted that law-abiding, bill-paying citizens could not be punished for the negligence of defaulters.
The court directed the Nepra and Qesco to ensure uninterrupted power supply across all districts, cities, and villages of Balochistan, including those still deprived of electricity.
It further declared that disconnecting power connections in villages under the Tube Well Solarization Policy without notice was illegal.
Expressing displeasure, the court noted that during the previous hearing, the chief secretary and CM’s principal secretary had been directed to coordinate with the federal government to resolve the load-shedding issue, but no progress was made, nor did they appear before the court.
Consequently, the bench issued show-cause notices to both officers, asking them to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them. They were also instructed to take concrete steps in consultation with the federal government to end load-shedding and resolve electricity supply issues, and to personally appear before the court at the next hearing with a comprehensive report.