Khyber Pakhtunkhwa urges Federal Govt for increased funding & cheap electricity amid net hydel profit concerns
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said the Federal government of Pakistan should settle payments it owes to the province on account of electricity produced in his province. The Federal government has to pay Rs 1,510 billion to the provincial government on account of “net hydel profits’’, he claimed. These are charges which have not been paid to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for electricity generated in the province, Gandapur said.
It bears mention here that KP is a power surplus province, which contributes a lot to Pakistan’s electricity requirements through cheap hydroelectric power. However, most of the power is exported to areas outside the province, mainly to the Punjab and Sindh regions. This happens as the power distribution is controlled by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), an entity of the Federal government.
The lopsided distribution, which Gandapur termed as unfair, has led to a situation where some KP areas faced up to 16 hours of loadshedding and unscheduled power cuts. In other areas, the residents are faced with power cuts of up to 12 hours a day. Gandapur has now asked the WAPDA staff to cut down these power outages by half, from 16 hours to eight hours a day, and from 12 hours to six hours a day in the next few days.
Speaking in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa legislative assembly on Friday, Gandapur said: “The Wapda officer is duty-bound to serve this province. If he fails to provide relief to the masses, I will tell the people to take over his offices.” The KP CM has given a 15 day notice to the Federal government to stop wanton loadshedding in the province and hold talks about the dues owed to it.
He has also issued an ultimatum that if power cuts are not curtailed drastically, he would take over the power distribution company’s headquarters, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco). “I will not remain silent on the issue of loadshedding and KP’s rights. I will take extreme measures if my province is denied its due rights,” Gandapur said in the assembly.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is generating cheap electricity, but is buying it at high rates while its residents are facing 22-hour loadshedding, which is gross injustice,” he added.
Some days ago, a large number of violent protests were witnessed in the Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir (POJK) also. One of the main reasons for the protests was the long hours of power cuts and costly electricity provided to consumers. The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) had pointed out that despite being a power surplus state, POJK was forced to undergo massive power cuts.
KP now seems to have embarked on the same path which POJK protestors were treading demanding cheap electricity as also for longer hours. In the coming days, as temperatures rise in Punjab and Sindh plains, KP CM Gandapur’s warnings can have consequences for these provinces. Improving the power supply situation in KP and POJK can mean curtailment of power supply elsewhere, mainly Punjab and Sindh.
The Federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is now caught between the deep sea and a rock hard place. Sharif doesn’t have a good relationship with Gandapur who is known for being unpredictable and a hardliner follower of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. To cock a snook at Sharif, Gandapur had not attended the PM’s swearing in. He also has strained and adversarial relations with KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi who belongs to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). In short, Gandapur has adopted a devil may care attitude towards both the Federal government and its appointee.
This adversarial relationship with both PML-N to which Sharif belongs and PPP to which Kundi belongs makes the situation in KP explosive. Gandapur has alleged that the Federal government has not been providing funds to fight militancy which many areas of KP are facing now. He said that Sharif has time and again promised to support the province in fighting the militants. The denial of funds and support from the Federal government has led to militants gaining an upper hand in many areas of KP.
“The Federal government gave us Rs 300 billion less. According to the International Monetary Fund’s conditions, I will fulfill the requirement of Rs 96 billion by June 30. Tell me, will Sindh and Punjab fulfill their responsibilities?” Gandapur said in the assembly. During the month of May and June, last two months of the current financial year that closes on June 30, KP has to provide additional funds as taxes to the Federal government.
“We need Rs 50 billion within two months. When I speak for my rights, they say I am irresponsible. My message is that we will not remain silent. It is clear who we are confronting. No one makes repeated requests for their rights,” he maintained.
