Religious leaders flay govt for ignoring loadshedding

LAHORE: Different religious leaders have strongly condemned the government for ignoring the vital issue of controlling the loadshedding which had been a major reason for nearly 300 deaths in Karachi over the last couple of days.
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq said the deaths of nearly 300 people in Karachi due to intense heat was a big tragedy adding that all the government claims of controlling loadshedding proved hollow.
Addressing the party office-bearers at Mansoora on Monday, he said rulers were trying to befool the masses through large size advertisements in newspapers that the problem of loadshedding had been solved. Had the federal and provincial governments spent on public welfare projects instead of personal publicity, the energy crisis would have been over and most of the people’s problems could have been solved, he added. He said the rulers had not even been able to check the pilferage of electricity so far.
He said line -losses could be minimised by upgrade of the transmission lines. However, he said the rulers seemed to be totally indifferent to the problems of the general public. Sirajul Haq said corrupt and incompetent rulers were a real problem of the country and as long as they remained at the helm of affairs, the situation would not improve. The good of the masses lies in getting rid of the dishonest rulers and bringing forth honest, competent and dedicated peoples in their place, he added.
He urged the nation to resolve during the holy month of Ramazan to renew their struggle for the enforcement of Nizam-e-Mustafa. He said the struggle for enforcement of Islamic system was as obligatory as fasting in Ramazan. Allah Almighty had commissioned the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) with a complete code of life which implied wiping out of all manmade false system of life. Islamic system ensures just and equitable distribution of resources in the society and was against the exploitation and class based society, he added.
Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri alleged that the government was making a fool of the masses in the name of controlling loadshedding. Addressing a party meeting from London via video link on Monday, Qadri asked if mega projects like Metro bus could have been completed within a record time then why the load-shedding was ignored. He expressed sorrow that rulers had failed to overcome the power crises despite oil prices kept reducing at the world level over the last couple of years.
Jamiat Ahle Hadith Ameer Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar Rupari said rulers must shun power politics and petty interests for attending towards the vital issue of loadshedding which had been a major factor in the deaths of over 300 people in Karachi.
Addressing a party meeting on Monday, he asked the rulers to have fear of the wrath of Allah Almighty and discharge their prime responsibility of providing basic facilities to the masses and prevent them from manmade problems like loadshedding and lawlessness.
Majlis Wahdat Muslemin (MWM) Punjab leader Asad Abbas Naqvi expressed sorrow that while fast-observing people were dying due to intense heat and loadshedding, the rulers were busy in power politics and petty issues. Addressing a party meeting on Monday, he said the federal and provincial governments were mere silent spectators to the deaths of hundreds of people and shedding crocodile’s tears on media, while they took no concrete step towards controlling the loadshedding and starting power generation projects on war footings.