Sindh senior minister calls power ministry a symbol of bad governance

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has described the Ministry of Energy as a major example of bad governance in Pakistan,

KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has described the Ministry of Energy as a major example of bad governance in Pakistan, criticizing the persistent electricity crisis and prolonged load-shedding across the province.

Addressing the Sindh Assembly session, Memon strongly condemned the ongoing power outages and said that the people and business community were being forced to bear the consequences of mismanagement by public institutions.

“People and traders are suffering because of the mismanagement of institutions,” Memon said, adding that if there was an example of bad governance in Pakistan, the Ministry of Energy was one of the clearest examples.

The senior minister said the crisis was not limited to electricity, as similar problems were being faced in the supply of gas and water. He criticized the relevant institutions for failing to establish an effective mechanism to resolve these issues and provide relief to citizens.

Memon said that political parties across the country appeared to be on the same page regarding the poor performance of power distribution companies. He specifically mentioned K-Electric, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO), saying that these institutions had failed to deliver satisfactory services to the public.

He suggested that if all political parties agreed, the Sindh Assembly speaker should summon the chief executive officers (CEOs) of K-Electric, HESCO, SEPCO and other relevant institutions to the assembly.

According to Memon, the CEOs of these organizations should be questioned about their performance and held accountable if they were not operating according to the law. He urged the speaker to use his constitutional and parliamentary authority to address the issue and ensure that the concerned institutions responded to complaints raised by elected representatives.

The Sindh senior minister also called on representatives in the National Assembly to raise their voices over the worsening situation. He said the problems faced by citizens were widespread and could not be resolved by focusing on electricity alone.

“The issue is not limited to electricity. The situation regarding gas and water is also similar,” Memon said, stressing the need for a comprehensive mechanism to improve the performance of public utility institutions.

He said the Sindh government had already attempted to address the matter by forming a parliamentary committee, but the initiative had failed to produce the desired results.

Memon maintained that political parties should work together to ensure accountability and improve public service delivery. He argued that institutions responsible for providing essential utilities must be made answerable for their performance, particularly when citizens and businesses are facing prolonged disruptions.

He further said that the continued problems with electricity supply were affecting both ordinary consumers and the business community, while poor institutional management was adding to public frustration.

Responding to Memon’s concerns, Sindh Assembly Speaker said that the CEOs of the relevant institutions would be summoned to the meeting of the parliamentary committee scheduled for September 23.

The development is expected to provide an opportunity for lawmakers to question the heads of the concerned utility companies over electricity, gas and other service-related issues and seek explanations regarding the continuing problems faced by consumers across Sindh.