Govt dissolves PEPCO: Pervaiz Ashraf

Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) has been dissolved because it was suffering huge losses.
During a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said that PEPCO was suffering deficit of Rs 250 billion annually. He said that now, distribution companies would be responsible for their issues and would be independent but a Steering Committee would be made for distribution companies to look after these companies.
He said that 2 percent increase in power tariff was necessary. He said that Provinces would be consulted to deal with the issue of power theft. He said that it was directed to re-organize the public organizations.

Raja replays old trumpet for Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water and Electricity Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, has once again broken the ice, playing the same old trumpet – ‘government is setting up several power projects on war-footing basis’, but this time, the claim has been made for Balochistan.

Federal government is working on several power projects in Balochistan to emancipate the province and the destitute people of ongoing electricity crisis, Ashraf reclaimed.

This he said in a meeting with Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani.

CM apprised minister of degrading electricity situation in province including destruction of power cables, polls, and transformers during terrorist attacks.

US, Pakistan hold high-level talks about bomb plot: US

WASHINGTON: Anne Patterson, the US ambassador to Islamabad, consulted Pakistani leaders on Wednesday about the search for leads into the US probe of a car bomb plot in New York, a US official said.

Philip Crowley, the State Department spokesman, also said Washington has received a “full and complete pledge” of cooperation from Pakistan for the probe into the botched plot allegedly carried out by a Pakistani-American.

Patterson raised the investigation in meetings with Pakistani Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi as well as in talks with Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Crowley told reporters.

“She will continue to have other meetings with senior Pakistani officials in the coming days… to work collectively on this … investigation,” Crowley said.

But Crowley was vague about what Patterson and the Pakistani leaders discussed.

“We will be exchanging information as the investigation is ongoing,” the spokesman said.

“Whatever leads are generated here in the United States … we would fully expect Pakistan to follow up on,” he said.

“Pakistan, as you are seeing, has already taken its own steps. I”ll defer to the Pakistani government to describe what it is doing.”

In Islamabad, the Pakistani Army warned that it had yet to establish a link between Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American implicated in the bomb plot, and the country”s main militant stronghold in Waziristan.

According to the US criminal complaint, Shahzad admitted “after his arrest that he had received bomb-making training in Waziristan, Pakistan.”

The alleged visit to the Al-Qaeda and Taliban stronghold in Pakistan”s semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border presumably occurred during a five-month trip the complaint says Shahzad made to Pakistan.

He returned on February 3 without his wife and told immigration officials that he had been visiting his parents, the complaint said.

Waziristan is the powerbase of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been the only militant group to claim Saturday”s attempted bomb attack, albeit in a move widely disputed in Pakistan and the United States.

18th Amendment revival of Parliament’s power: President

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that one of the greatest achievements of the government was the 18th Amendment, which had restored powers to the Parliament in accordance with the 1973 Constitution given unanimously to the country by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

To cleanse the constitution of all undemocratic articles introduced into it by unelected and autocratic regimes has been a dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and the party has realized her dream, the President said. He said this while addressing a gathering of PPP office-bearers, ticket holders and counsellors belonging to Sheikhupura division in the Presidency.

The meeting participated by several hundred party workers was also attended by Secretary General of the Party, Senator Jahangir Badar, Federal Minister for Water Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Minister of State Ch. Safdar Warraich, Ch. Manzoor, Ms. Fouzia Habib, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi and Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar.

Briefing the media, Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that the President said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto shed her blood for restoring the right of the people and the Parliament and the Party has accepted the challenge of those who were opposing the constitutional reforms, the Parliament’s sovereignty and the people’s rights.

He said that no one relinquishes power readily,but he gave up the powers most willingly to strengthen the Parliament and realize the Party’s dream to revive the democratic Constitution.

President Zardari said that the UN Inquiry Commission in the assassination of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had strengthened the hands of the government to pursue the investigations vigorously and expose the culprits before the whole world.

Pakistan to import 1000 MW power from Tajikistan: Ashraf

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Tajikistan have agreed to gear up the Central Asian South Asian-1000 project (CASA-1000) for import of 1000 megawatts power from Tajikistan and decided to set up a working group to finalise strategy to complete it within shortest possible time.

The matter was discussed during a meeting between Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Ambassador of Tajikistan to Pakistan Zubaydullo Zubaydov.

The minister stressed the need for early completion of the CASA-1000 project whereas, the Ambassador briefed about the current status of the project and its related issues like financing and construction of transmission lines and the decision of the previous JMC. He said the project would strengthen the bilateral relation between the two countries.

Gilani Urges For Short And Long-Term Plans To Curb Energy Crisis

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani asked all the provincial governments as well as energy related ministries and organizations to work out details of plans and submit their versions in the Energy Conference till tomorrow.

He further directed that the proposals be thoroughly deliberated and no decision be taken in haste.

He emphasized that a well coordinated National Plan of Action covering short, medium and long term measures be prepared ensuring relief to the people at large. The Prime Minister expressed these views during a special meeting with the Chief Ministers and Federal Ministers at the Prime Minister House Tuesday afternoon after the conclusion of second day deliberations at the Energy Conference.

The Prime Minister advised the participants that non-discriminatory and uniform approach for all the regions and sectors be adopted while finalizing the proposals. He asked that final recommendations be presented to him on Thursday and subsequently these would be announced in the afternoon the same day.

The Prime Minister appreciated the devotion and dedication of all the Chief Ministers, concerned Federal Ministers and Heads of relevant departments in addressing the energy crisis.

The concern shown by all, he said, reflected their commitment for a national cause. Such endeavours, he added, is a dividend of the spirit of reconciliation and reaching at decisions with consensus.

Earlier, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Minister for Water and Power briefed the Prime Minister on the discussions held in the Energy Conference and the contributions made by all the provinces, Federal Ministries and relevant organizations.

He apprised the Premier about the preliminary findings and proposals agreed upon. The proposals, he mentioned, require further discussion at different levels before these could be finalized and every body is working continuously in this regard. He expressed confidence that the proposals/decisions in the form of a final report will be presented to the Prime Minister on Thursday.

Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif; Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa Amir Haider Khan Hoti; Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf; Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Syed Naveed Qamar; Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Mohammad Gondal and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira attended the meeting.

---

Gilani Urges For Short And Long-Term Plans To Curb Energy Crisis was first posted on April 21, 2010 at 11:43 am.
Copyright @ A News Trends.Com

Six Security Men Killed In Khyber Agency Suicide Attack

6 security men killed in Khyber Agency suicide attack
Six security officials were killed and more than 20 others were injured as militants attacked a FC camp—Janci camp— in Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency.

Officials claim that after the attack security forces retaliated and killed 25 militants. According to FC officials, militants attacked the camp with heavy weapons in the Sipah area of Bara Tehsil.

The injured were shifted to CMH Peshawar. Indefinite curfew has been imposed in the area.

---

Six Security Men Killed In Khyber Agency Suicide Attack was first posted on March 31, 2010 at 10:37 am.
Copyright @ A News Trends.Com

History Made At Night

A parliamentary committee agreed on a constitutional amendment. The amendment package would now be presented in the Parliament.

All 27-members of the committee, representing all the political groups having their representation in the two houses of the Parliament, put their signatures on the constitutional package’s draft in a ceremony held at the Committee Room of the Parliament House.

The 18th amendment strips the president of powers inherited from the country’s former military ruler, fulfilling a long-standing opposition demand.

Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was the first to sign the draft followed by Naveed Qamar. Besides, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Ishaq Dar, Babar Awan, Lashkari Raisani, Wasim Sajjad and others also singed the draft. Raza Rabbani thanked all the members of the committee and said the nation’s interest is kept first after setting aside party’s interest.

Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, after singing the draft, said there are nearly 100 clauses in the draft amendment.

The draft amendment transfers a variety of powers, including the ability to fire an elected government and appoint military chiefs, from the office of the president to the prime minister.

---

History Made At Night was first posted on April 1, 2010 at 10:02 am.
Copyright @ A News Trends.Com

Massive power crisis continues to wrack life in Pakistan

LAHORE: The country is still afflicted with massive power crisis as the juggernaut power shortfall persists at 4600 Megawatts, Geo News reported Sunday.

Following the protest demos against protracted and unannounced schedule of load shedding, Power and Water Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced cosmetic step of reducing two hours from the schedule.

Legal Adviser of Wapda Muneer Ahmed Khan told Geo News that the federal minister arrived at Power Control Center established in Islamabad and announced to monitor the load shedding of all the cities.

Raja Pervaiz conducted emergency negotiations with World Bank, oil companies and Petroleum officials and reduced the span of power load shedding to 9 hours in Lahore and 11 hours in the suburban areas.

DG Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Muhammed Khalid said the supply of 1000 MW will start to pour from various shut down power plants including Hubco and Kot Addu by April 15 and with the arrival of new power plants by June/July, the shortfall will dwindle to 2000 MWs, which will push the power outages span to 6 to 8 hours.

The load shedding span in Islamabad and Rawalpindi is 4 to 6 hours and in Karachi, the span is 5 to 6 hours.

According to sources in Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), the gap between power demand and supply stands is 350 MWs.

The interior Sindh areas including Hyderabad, Larkana, Nawabshah, Ghotki, Badin, Thatta, Sukkar and Mirpur Khas continue to be afflicted with prolonged load shedding spans.

The various cities of Southern Punjab including Multan are facing 10 to 12 hours of load shedding and the rural areas 16 hours.

The urban areas of Faisalabad are being wracked by 8-hour power outages and 18 hours in the rural areas.

Peshawar’s urban areas are suffering 12 to 14-hour of load shedding and 18 to 20 hours of load shedding in rural areas.

The protracted and unannounced spans of load shedding have put the citizens on racks in various districts including Mardan, Kohat, Noshehra, Swabi and Mansehra.

Ashraf signs 18th Amendment draft

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has signed the draft of 18th Amendment, Geo reported Wednesday.

The signing ceremony is taking place at the parliament house.

Next Page »