PPP rallies across Sindh protest power outages

Party activists scuffle with PML-N members in Larkana; Chandio asks PM to resign to avoid further embarrassment; Kh Asif says loadshedding continuing only in areas where power stolen

HYDERABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Sunday held rallies across Sindh to protest increased power outages, gas and water shortages and indifferent attitude of the federal government towards the Sindh province.

PPP activists clashed with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers at the Jinnah Chowk in Larkana after raising ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogans. The situation worsened as both scuffled after an altercation in the PPP's stronghold.

In Hyderabad, PPP activists staged a protest outside the offices of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco). They also desecrated effigies of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Minister of State Abid Sher Ali.

In Jacobabad, a rally was taken out from Deputy Commissioner Roundabout, and an effigy of Abid Sher was burnt. In Khairpur, a rally was taken outside the office of Sukkur Electric Supply Company (Sepco), led by Sindh Assembly Member Nawab Wassan.

In Sukkur, the third largest city in Sindh, a rally was taken out at the Rohri National Highway. Parliamentarian Owais Shah threatened that if electricity, gas and water were not provided, they would seal the border between Sindh and Punjab.

In Dadu, a sit-in was organised, led by parliamentarians Kulsoom Chandio and Sanjila Laghari. PPP activists also protested and burnt tyres at the Thatta-Sujawal Road, while a demonstration was also organised at the Bhitai Roundabout in Mirpur Mathelo in district Ghotki.

Protests were also held outside the press club in Umerkot, municipal committee ground in Mithi, Tando Allahyar and various other towns and cities across the province. Senior PPP lawmaker Nisar Khuhro, while addressing the party workers in Larkana, said that in the light of the Panamagate verdict, the prime minister no longer had the moral authority to remain in his office. He warned that if the prime minister did not resign, he would be thrown out of the PM House.

PPP Information Secretary Maula Bux Chandio on Sunday said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had no moral authority to stay in power and he should resign to avoid further embarrassment. Addressing a gathering in front of the Hesco office in Hyderabad, Chandio wondered why the Pakistan Muslim League-N was celebrating and distributing sweetmeats after the Panama Leaks case verdict.

Reacting to the protests against outrages in Sindh areas, Water and Power Minister Khwaja Asif said that no relief would be provided to those who steal electricity. He said: “In the areas where people are protesting, we are facing high losses, we are doing loadshedding for up to 14 hours. We readily provide electricity to those consumers who pay their bills.”

Asif debunked the perception that Sindh is the specific target of loadshedding. “This [problem persists] in the entire country." “Rather than holding demonstrations, the political leaders should tell the people to pay their bills; they should urge them to put meters rather than opting to steal electricity.”

The minister warned that in case the Water and Power department continues to face issues of defaulted payments, the government would remove transformers from those areas. “Those who don't pay bills, their troubles won't fade away; in fact, it will increase. We will remove transformers from these areas and won’t provide them electricity,” he warned.

Separately, at a briefing at the National Assembly, Asif claimed that Sindh leads all the other provinces in electricity theft. He said the federal government was facing losses worth Rs34 billion due to electricity theft in Sindh, followed by Rs18 billion in Punjab, Rs17 billion in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Rs340 million in Balochistan.  

Fasahat Mohiuddin adds from Karachi: The Pakistan People’s Party on Sunday launched a countrywide movement to press Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign and to expose his government’s inability to control power loadshedding despite ruling for about four years.

PPP rallies from different parts of the city gathered at the Civic Centre here on Sunday. The PPP leaders and workers, including women, chanted slogans against Nawaz Sharif with placards in their hands, demanding ‘Go Nawaz Go.’ The PPP workers, in their slogans, also said that Nawaz had no right to rule after the verdict of the Supreme Court.

“After the Panama verdict, the prime minister has no moral justification to cling to the office and he must resign forthwith. We have decided to launch a countrywide movement against the prime minister concurrently,” PPP Karachi Secretary General Waqar Mehdi told ‘The News.’

He said that the movement would also be against loadshedding which the PML-N could not control in the past four years. “The movement for Nawaz Sharif’s resignation and against loadshedding will go side by side,” he said. He said that the PML-N had lied to the people about the loadshedding issue and it had been exposed in front of the people. 

Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce Manzoor Hussain Wassan said that the PPP had rejected the formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the Panama case against Nawaz Sharif and his children. “It would have been better if the Supreme Court had ordered the investigation agencies to probe this matter instead of tasking the job to the same institutions like the NAB and FBR,” he said.

The PPP leader said that the PML-N leaders had become unnerved after the Panama verdict and started using foul language about the PPP leadership.

The areas surrounding the Civic Centre faced a gridlock as the JI also took out a rally against K-Electric. The JI workers raised slogans and declared that Nawaz Sharif had no more moral grounds to stay in power.

A heavy contingent of the police and Rangers was deployed to control the situation. At some places workers got emotionally charged but they were controlled by leaders. 

Karachi JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said at the rally that if the present corrupt system and leadership would remain in power, then the present debt of $65 billion of the country would rise to $120 billion by 2020.

“JI would continue taking out rallies against the KE,” he said. “Nawaz Sharif has no moral grounds to stay in power after the judgment of the Supreme Court.” The PPP and JI leaders pledged that such rallies would continue till the removal of Nawaz Sharif.   

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz took out a rally to express solidarity with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after the verdict of the Supreme Court. The rally was taken out from Karsaz to the Karachi Press Club here on Sunday.

The rally was led by Senator Nihal Hashmi of the PML-N. While addressing the rally, he said that Nawaz Sharif was still the prime minister and would remain the prime minister. “The PML-N will win the 2018 general elections and the PPP will be ousted.”

Nihal also lashed out at the PPP leaders, particularly former president Asif Ali Zardari. The PML-N workers chanted slogans against PPP leaders and workers.