Govt, opposition spar in NA over Karachi’s woes

ISLAMABAD: The intense acrimony between the government and opposition manifested in the form of angry trading of blame over Karachi’s long-running electricity woes as well as the city’s bloody past in the National Assembly on Thursday.

The metropolis dominated the debates during an emotionally-charged session, with fiery speeches delivered from government benches. At one point, opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Shazia Soomro flung a microphone at PTI minister Murad Saeed (which failed to find its mark) while he delivered an angry speech about alleged Karachi gangster Uzair Baloch, and how the bloodshed prevailed in the PPP government’s era.

Earlier, Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan informed the National Assembly that the government will provide hundreds of additional megawatts of electricity to K-Electric from the national grid and build two grid stations to end the energy shortages in Karachi.

He said the previous governments of PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) mishandled the affairs of K-Electric. He also said the Sindh government failed to desilt nullahs and drains before the monsoon season and its negligence resulted in the deaths of people by electrocution.

Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said the K-Electric was privatised during the government of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) — a PTI ally — and things worsened during the tenures of PML-N and PPP.

He said the transmission capacity of K-Electric was not improved so it could not get electricity from the main national grid. He promised that the federal government would take measures to increase electricity supply to K-Electric from the national grid.

Former premier and PPP stalwart Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, speaking after Umar, said the PTI government could not continue blaming previous governments for its own shortcomings. “When you give speeches instead of giving a specific answer, you always lay blame on previous governments.”

He added that a newly formed government could blame its predecessor for a few months after coming into power but “two years have passed”.

PPP’s Agha Rafiullah said the members of PTI have been staging a sit-in outside the K-Electric office. “Whose rule is it in the country?” he asked.

Protests erupted in the Lower House after a war of words ensued between female PPP lawmakers and PTI members during the energy minister’s speech. The women lawmakers surrounded the speaker’s dais over “inappropriate” words directed at them during the session.

The tension showed no signs of stopping, even after Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri urged the PTI lawmaker to not speak to female lawmakers in that manner. “Women, whether they are from the government or opposition, are to be respected,” said Suri.

Upon the deputy speaker’s request, PTI lawmaker Aslam Khan apologised to the lawmakers and stated that he did not target anyone neither did he take anyone’s name.

Minister Murad Saeed delivered a fiery speech at length about how Uzair Baloch had confessed to committing heinous crimes, including assassinations, extortion and organising gangs of bandits, which he claimed, was at the behest of the top leadership of PPP.

Murad was forced to stop his speech when lawmaker Shagufta Rehmani pointed out the lack of quorum. Deputy Speaker suspended the proceedings till completion of the quorum. Later, Suri adjourned the proceedings till Friday morning.