Ali Amin Gandapur, the fiery Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), has issued a stern ultimatum to the federal government regarding the persistent issue of power outages in the province. Gandapur threatened to seize control of the state-owned power distribution firm, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), if the matter is not resolved by tomorrow (Thursday).
Expressing deep frustration over the prolonged power cuts across KP, Gandapur demanded immediate action from the federal authorities. He insisted that unannounced load shedding must cease, urging all stakeholders to come together to find a solution.
The Chief Minister set a deadline for the federal government to address the power outage problem by tonight, demanding a revision of the load shedding schedule. He warned that if his demands were not met, he would personally formulate a schedule and take over the Pesco chief’s office to enforce it.
Gandapur alleged that KP is being forced to purchase costly electricity despite having the capacity to generate power at a lower cost. He vowed to secure the rights of the people of KP at any cost.
In response to Gandapur’s strong statements, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif criticized the confrontational tone used by the KP Chief Minister. Asif suggested that the provincial government should settle outstanding bills for “stolen electricity.” He offered federal assistance to all provinces willing to address financial losses due to power theft.
This isn’t the first time the PTI-supported Chief Minister has clashed with the federal government, led by his political rival, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N). Earlier this month, Gandapur threatened to lead a march towards Islamabad if the federal government didn’t clear the dues owed to his province promptly.
Expressing frustration over matters related to the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, Gandapur warned that his province’s people would stand behind him if he took to the streets. He urged the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government in Islamabad to settle KP’s dues promptly, cautioning against underestimating him.
The Chief Minister demanded that the federal government address his province’s grievances promptly and warned against any complacency.
