An open letter to Mr Zardari

Hiding beneath the all-enveloping burqa of democracy, you continue to hold your political party and the country hostage to your governance in Sindh or lack thereof. It’s one thing to be incompetent or engage in mismanagement, it’s another to argue that calling you out for bad governance is going to undo Pakistan’s shaky democracy. This is the party of Bhutto and Benazir. Why’re you using their legacy to cover your shady tracks?

The PPP is one of the most result-driven opposition parties in Pakistan’s history. Benazir Bhutto was the face of the opposition that led to the downfall of two of the most menacing military dictators in the country, Zia and Musharraf. Instead of serving as a strong opposition party at the centre today, against what you claim is a selected prime minister, you’re using your chips to negotiate a safe exit for yourself rather than keep this government on its toes.

Pakistan has two opposition leaders today. The first, jo metro sai baz na aya, is in jail. The second, perhaps the best opposition leader in Pakistan since Benazir, sits in the Prime Minister House today and occasionally takes notice of gas price increases his cabinet okays. This is theatre of the absurd. My point being, the Pakistani people deserve a real opposition party. And the PPP isn’t snoozing on the job. It’s actively looking the other way so it can score a deal that can erase its acts of omission and commission.

You force progressives and pro-democracy activists to act as the carpet, under which you can brush all your real and perceived sins. That’s because the PPP is one of the few mainstream voices which still argues for a liberal and progressive Pakistan. How much longer can we look the other way as you play us like a fiddle, while interior Sindh burns?

No sir, the jig is up. Unlike Bhutto and Benazir, history will not judge you kindly. You are not the poster boy of democracy nor is democracy threatened if you leave the system. Democracy is threatened by the PPP and Bilawal being held hostage to gross negligence by you in Sindh. Let Bilawal lead the party. Let him dump your friends running the party as quickly as he can.

You argue the establishment wants a minus-one formula to punish you for the crime of being a democrat. When Benazir argued for democracy, Pakistan rose to defend her. Even those who didn’t like her, including Nawaz Sharif, were the first to mourn her death and arrive at the hospital. When you cry wolf, no one will rise to your defence. And that’s on you, not the establishment.

As someone born and raised in Karachi, I don’t want the PTI to overthrow your government in Sindh through horse trading or other funny business. I want Bilawal to stage a coup within the PPP. Pakistan needs a strong PPP to deliver in Sindh and serve as opposition at the centre. Bilawal gives great speeches, which as Imran Khan’s journey has proven, is the only thing you need to make a great opposition leader. As far as governance goes, I can’t imagine Bilawal’s leadership to be worse than Usman Buzdar, as long as he gets rid of daddy’s friends.

Yes, it’s true, I can criticise Zardari to my heart’s content. But I can’t criticise those who must not be criticised. When you want to know who holds the real power in a room, you think about those who you can’t speak up against. That much is true. But it doesn’t help that the man who wants to lead the fight against them is this flawed.

Bilawal would make a much better fighter for the cause of democracy and progressive values in the country. He’s your son Mr Zardari, stop eating into his inheritance. Give him wings and fade away into the distance or better yet, your penthouse in New York City.

Minister blames Centre for power cuts in Karachi

Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh on Monday informed the lawmakers that the provincial government had no role in containing the ongoing loadshedding by K-Electric as the power utility was independently working under the administrative control of the federal government.

Furnishing a statement and giving replies to the lawmakers’ written and oral queries during Question Hour, he said the power utility was privatised by the federal government in 2006 with the core objective to reduce losses and provide relief to the people of Karachi.

The minister said that power generation was affected by the shortage of gas. He quoted the power utility as saying that it was investing $450 million for upgrading the power distribution system.

“The power utility claims that it has invested two billion dollars, added 1,057MW since its privatisation and reduced losses from 36 per cent to 20 per cent,” the minister said, adding that these claims needed to be verified by the federal government.

Mr Shaikh claimed that 75pc of the city was now free of loadshedding. He said the provincial government was running a campaign to make the people aware about electricity shortage.

Stressing the need for conserving electricity, the minister said that the government was educating the people on how to save electricity. He added that the provincial government was working on promoting the use of LED bulbs through the Directorate of Power Development (PDS) as per the guidelines of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority for creating awareness about efficient use of energy. “In order to circulate awareness in the masses, the PDS in collaboration with Indus University had held a joint seminar in May 2018,” the minister added.

Answering a question asked by MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the Grand Democratic Alliance, he said that at present the provincial government did not have plans to give subsidy on the sale of LED bulbs. However, the minister said, the provincial government was planning to establish a full-fledged Directorate of Sindh Energy Efficiency and Conservation for creating awareness as well as enforcing energy efficiency and conservation.

In reply to a question asked by Mr Jatoi, he said the federal government had three directors on K-Electric’s board of directors and the provincial government had requested that at least one director from Sindh should be included to monitor the operational capabilities of KE. However, he said the request had not yet been accepted.

Mr Shaikh informed the house that the provincial government had established a 100MW gas turbine power project for the supply of electricity to KE and for this a 95-kilometre transmission line was also built by the Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company.

In addition to this, he said, the provincial government had allocated Rs1,584 million for the installation of infrastructure for electrification of villages in the KE-licensed area.

The minister further said that the provincial energy department with the support of the World Bank had launched a Sindh Solar Energy Project under which all public sector buildings would be solarised through a rooftop solar programme within five years.

First death from Congo virus reported in Karachi

A woman lost her life to Congo virus at the city’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre on Tuesday becoming the first reported death of the year in Pakistan owing to the disease.

Reports revealed that a 35-year-old woman, resident of Karachi’s Orangi Town had been brought to the Jinnah Hospital in a critical condition.

It was confirmed by the hospital’s Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali that the patient had been infected with the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) which later took her life.

The disease is transmitted to the body through a tick that attaches itself to the skin of cattle that transports the virus from the animal to people who come in contact with it.

As per reports by the World Health Organization, the virus is said to have a fatality rate ranging from 10 percent to 40 percent with its symptoms being fever, muscle aches, faintness, neck and back aches, sore eyes, sensitivity to light, nausea, diarrhea and sore throat.

Last year, the city encountered 41 people infected by the disease out of which 16 lost their lives. 

Karachi to be engulfed in another cold spell this week

Weather in the city is expected to take a surge once again with a sudden drop in temperature expected this week.

According to reports by Pakistan Meteorological Departments the city will be engulfed with another wave of cold and chilly air blowing at a speed of 60-70 kilometers per hour.

Temperatures on Tuesday are expected to reach a high of 16-27 degrees while on Sunday a hazy sunshine can be experienced between 15-26 degrees centigrade and minimum wind speed to be 45-55 kilometers per hour.

Weather related health conditions are already taking its toll on people hence Karachiites have been advised to be well prepared and help themselves to brave against possible infections, mainly viral in nature.

Adequate attention towards personal hygiene with particular reference to hand washing and preference for homemade food besides regular intake of liquid including lukewarm water and soups, preferably of vegetable can be of great help, a senior family physician, Dr Hashim Allana suggested.