Denial of power transmission licence to KP: Senate chairman summons Omar Ayub for statement

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani Monday summoned Minister for Energy Omar Ayub on Friday to give a statement in the House on the issue of two federal agencies reportedly resisting the award of electricity transmission license to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that was its constitutional right under Article 157(2) of the Constitution.

PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani raised the matter in the House. Another issue pertaining to the proposed privatisation of 10 power distribution companies (DISCOS) was also referred to the standing committee concerned of the House for deliberation and report. The chairman said since the matter came under the Federal Legislative List, Part-II, therefore, it must have been decided by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

Referring to a news report, Rabbani said the centrist mindset against the provincial autonomy ran through the political parties as well as the governments. He noted that the Central Dispatch and Purchasing Agency and National Transmission and Dispatch Company had opposed the award of license to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which wanted to regulate 7,300MW power supply system over a period of five to ten years.

The PPP senator explained that Article 157 (2) dealt with all issues relating to electricity and which a provincial government could do, including generation, transmission and levy of tax and construction of power houses.

The objection, he said, was that it ran contrary to the Nepra law. He, however, asserted that whether Nepra law or any other law, relating to electricity, which would be in negation to Article 157(2), would be void to that extent.

Rabbani continued that quite surprisingly, the NTDC opposed the provincial government’s license bid that all such decisions should be made by the CCI under Article 154 (1), being part of Federal Legislative List, Part-I. He also pointed out that to privatise DISCOS, one union was split into ten so as to carry out their privatization and this step was against the law and the tradition.

BNP-Mengal Dr. Jehanzaib Jamaldini and PkMAP Senator Usman Kakar spoke on the burial of BSO supremo Karima Baloch and alleged that her body was taken away and burial was not allowed in her native village. She had died in Canada a few weeks back.

However, BAP Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar strongly rejected the allegations and said the police accompanied Karima’s body from Karachi to her native village, where she was buried. He also contested the use of term ‘martyr’ for Karima Baloch saying the Canadian authorities had established that there was no foul play regarding her death.

Senator Fida Muhammad insisted that there should be no politics over dead bodies. JI Senator Mushtaq Ahmad urged the chair to revive the House special committee on holding dialogue with the angry elements and addressing their genuine concerns.