Articles of the year 2020

The latest scandal shows the over payment to the IPPs has reached ONE THOUSAND ARB 1000000000000, one followed by 10 zeroes.
This is the over payment to the IPPs and still the same power producers are selling us the most expensive electricity in the world with frequent outages causing riots in Karachi. This is a sad and shameful indictment of their rapacious greed.

The industrial barons of Pakistan where each tycoon is a participant in this scam. Razzaq Dawood, Nadeem Babar, members of Imran Khan’s cabinet are named in this list is all the more shameful because with every industry the owner bears the responsibility to protect his industry from being taken over by the government by behaving responsibly. It is obvious, they do not care for the niceties or the responsibilities that they should shoulder.

In perspective, the over payment represents the cost of two Diamer - Bhasha dams at 450 arbs a piece, 100 universities at 10 arb a piece or one thousand new power projects or the salaries of an additional 500,000 soldiers.

The political parties criticised the size of the army and the expenditure of the army when this overpayment can easily pay for the army and not feel the pinch. This colossal amount has vanished into the hands of these 10 IPPs and is irretrievably lost.

The touts of these IPPs are sitting in the assembly providing them protection. The Chief Justice has already taken notice but shamefully now a more drastic action is necessary.
The entire assets of these IPPs may not be enough to cover this over paid amount. These IPPs have shown their disgraceful lack of respect for the Pakistani people who are being made to suffer by the high cost of the electricity sold.