Sindh faces 18-hour electricity loadshedding, PA told.

KARACHI -- Provincial Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh on Thursday informed the Sindh Assembly that injustice was being done with the people of Sindh as 18-hour electricity loadshedding was being carried out across the province, adding that the provincial government was ready to take control of power distribution companies Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) on its own terms and conditions for betterment of the people.

He was responding to a calling-attention notice of Grand Democratic Alliance's Arif Mustafa Jatoi.

Mr Shaikh said that the provincial government was involved only in coal mining under public-private partnership and had nothing to do with electricity production and its transmission.

'They (opposition members) don't know about procedures and come up with unnecessary questions,' he added, apparently pointing his finger at the GDA member.

Mr Jatoi said that as the provincial government was already engaged in coal mining, electricity production and its transmission, it would not be convenient for it to take over distribution too.

Mr Jatoi said that the federation was ready if the provincial government wanted to carry out electricity distribution.

Judicial reforms

Responding to another calling-attention notice, Minister Shaikh said that the provincial government would soon bring judicial and legal reforms to take criminals and terrorists to task.

The notice was moved by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Arsalan Taj.

The energy minister on behalf of the law department said that judgements of the cases depended upon statements of witnesses and FIRs. 'What would the judges do, if a witness does not turn up to record his statement?' he asked.

Mr Shaikh rejected the PTI lawmaker's stance that many culprits were acquitted due to faulty prosecution and said that it might have happened in a few cases.

The PTI member was of the view that criminals especially terrorists found a safe haven in cases when the prosecution presented weak arguments against those involved in destabilising the law and order situation across the province.

He said that criminals and terrorists were acquitted due to weak prosecution, adding that notorious Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch was acquitted in four terrorism cases during last week. 'The joint investigation team had found Uzair Baloch guilty of many heinous crimes. Are there some people who are providing shelter to him (Uzair Baloch)?,' he asked.

The PTI MPA said that...