Is KESC Implying all Karachiites Are Thieves?

As part of its efforts to curb power theft, the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has come up with a unique way of reminding consumers that stealing electricity results in negative consequences, however, the power utility has ignored the fact that in the process it is humiliating the bill-paying and law abiding consumers.

The KESC has printed a shameful slogan on electricity bills, which goes as: “Hum bijli churatay hain tub hi hamaray bachay iskoolon main garmi say behaal hotay hain” (Since we [KESC’s consumers] steal electricity, our children have to suffer the heat in schools.)For those who pay their bills on time and still endure long hours of load shedding, this is like rubbing salt into the wounds.

Those consumers who are being sent a bill obviously have legal connection, and even if they are stealing power through the kunda (hook) system, then it is the KESC’s inefficiency of not being able to take stern action against power thieves that is to blame.

Humiliating the law-abiding citizens through implying that they are power thieves is a strategy that makes little sense.Instead of hurting the self-esteem of legal consumers, the KESC should take measures to improve flaws in its distribution system and reduce line losses.

Talking to DT, many citizens said they felt offended by the humiliating slogans printed on the KESC bills.They said if the government was unable to address the citizens’ woes, which have been worsened due to the tariff increase; it should at least ask the KESC to remove such language from bills.

Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan as Governor Sindh - Karachi

Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan Monday resigned from the post of Governor Sindh. He has left for Dubai and his resignation yet to be accepted by the President of Pakistan. Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khoro took over as Acting Governor Sindh.

Governor Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan (born March 2, 1963) studied in the prestigious Dow Medical College, Karachi. As a student he had a penchant for politics and emerged as a prominent leader of a popular student organization, APMSO, a student wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The MQM is the third largest political party of Pakistan and the second largest in Sindh, having representation in the Federal Parliament of Pakistan, the Sindh Provincial Assembly and the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The party enjoys a large following in all units of the federation because of its welfare-oriented egalitarian political manifesto impacted by Mr. Altaf Hussain, the populist leader of the toiling masses. After graduation, he remained the head of the Medical Aid Committee – poor patients' welfare entity of the party. Gradually, he became a front rank political figure of the MQM. On his return from almost ten years of political exile in London, he was appointed to the position of the Governor of the province of Sindh. Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan assumed the charge of his office on December 27, 2002 as the youngest Governor of Sindh. He is the longest serving Governor of any province of Pakistan since its inception in 1947. Earlier in 1990, he was the youngest Minister in the Provincial cabinet of Sindh, holding the portfolios of Housing and Town Planning. Subsequently, he was also assigned the additional charge of Environment and Public Health Engineering Departments.