Pakistan Senate subcommittee calls for halt to power distribution companies’ privatization — Dawn
In Islamabad, the Pakistani Senate Subcommittee on Devolution called for halting the privatization of electricity distribution companies. It instructed the Privatization Commission to refer the matter to the Council of Common Interests (CCI), Dawn reports.
The meeting was chaired by Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro. The subcommittee expressed serious reservations about the Privatization Commission’s decision to continue the process without fresh approval from the CCI.
According to subcommittee members, distribution companies perform functions that fall within the provinces’ jurisdiction. Therefore, these functions should either be regulated through approval by provincial assemblies or transferred to the provinces.
Consideration by the Council of Common Interests
The subcommittee stressed that issues concerning the provinces must be referred to the CCI and that the privatization process must be transparent. Meeting participants also pointed to questions about transparency that arose during the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills and Pakistan International Airlines.
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Ghumro warned the Privatization Commission of the need to comply with previous instructions. He said that otherwise parliamentary action was possible. Senators Jan Muhammad Buledi and Poonjo Bheel, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other officials attended the meeting.
Devolution and federal spending
The subcommittee reviewed reports on the implementation of provisions on the devolution of powers under the 18th Amendment to Pakistan’s Constitution. According to Ghumro, the body ordered the abolition of 24 ministries and organizations operating in areas under provincial jurisdiction and the CCI, and a reduction in federal spending from 19 trillion to 13 trillion Pakistani rupees.
The senator also said that the country’s total tax and non-tax revenues amount to 20 trillion rupees, while federal expenditures nearly reach 19 trillion rupees. The Cabinet Division reported that a note on the issues raised had already been submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Separately, the subcommittee discussed the distribution of powers in the areas of policing and media. Tarar requested one month for consultations with provincial governments and the preparation of models for devolving media functions. Participants also heard information about electricity generated from coal at the Thar coalfield and supplied to the national grid, as well as possible subsidies for consumers in Islamkot.
