ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Wednesday all major obligations under the K-Electric privatisation agreement had been fulfilled, while the company was committed to investing $2 billion by 2030 to strengthen its power infrastructure.
During the National Assembly’s session on Wednesday, PPP MNA Syed Rafiullah questioned K-Electric’s commitments under its privatisation agreement, particularly regarding generation capacity, investment and service delivery. He sought details of infrastructure expansion plans and asked why Karachi continued to face outages and load-shedding despite the company’s claimed 2,400 MW generation capacity.
Stressing that privatisation should serve the public interest, Rafiullah asked, “What kind of arrangement is this that the public continues to suffer?” and said Karachi’s residents were looking to parliament for relief.
Responding to the queries, Parliamentary Secretary for Power Amir Talal said that under the agreement, K-Electric was currently receiving 2,000 MW of electricity from the national grid. He said the arrangement was intended to ensure the provision of electricity to consumers at lower rates. He further stated that K-Electric would make investments worth $2 billion by 2030 as part of its long-term commitments.
To a supplementary question from MQM’s Syed Hafeezuddin, the parliamentary secretary said the agreement with K-Electric was signed in 2005 and it included a commitment to add 1,000 MWs of electricity generation capacity.
He maintained that the company had fulfilled all clauses of the agreement and complied with its contractual obligations.
MNA Naima Kishwar, in a supplementary question, called for the availability of low-cost electricity during summers and highlighted the severe power outages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She said some areas of the province were facing between 20 and 22 hours of load-shedding daily. The parliamentary secretary said the government would review the situation and examine the concerns raised regarding electricity supply.
In reply to a question from Samina Khalid Ghurki regarding Pakistanis detained abroad, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said all possible assistance and support were being provided to Pakistani detainees abroad. The Pakistani missions overseas had dedicated sections that provided necessary support to Pakistani prisoners, including legal and financial assistance, to ensure their welfare. He said mission representatives regularly visited prisons and ensured the well-being of all prisoners.
He told the National Assembly that prisoners interacted with officers of the missions during jail visits and registered complaints regarding food, medicine and hygiene, which were immediately discussed with the jail authorities. He said contact details of officials, officers and honorary representatives of the missions were provided to every jail. “The mission helps in arranging visits of families of prisoners,” he said.
Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that as soon as a Pakistani was apprehended by law enforcement agencies, the date of arrest and the charges levelled against them were communicated to the missions through official communication channels of the host government. He said the missions tabulated the information and maintained a comprehensive database. He further added that at times, Pakistanis arrested and held in police stations were released because of the timely intervention of missions.
Similarly, he said, missions facilitated the release and repatriation of Pakistanis detained and stranded at various airports in host countries. The minister stated that Pakistanis arrested in police stations were released because of the timely intervention of missions. Similarly, the missions facilitated the release and repatriation of Pakistanis detained and stranded at various airports in host countries.
Answering a supplementary question, the minister said every effort was being made to secure the release of Pakistani hostages held by Somali pirates. Replying to another supplementary question, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said no targeted or selective action was being taken against Pakistanis in the United Arab Emirates.
