Summary: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan raises alleged LESCO bribery, load-shedding and consumer complaints, urging legal action, field inspections and accountability before the prime minister.
By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has expressed serious concern over complaints of alleged bribery, negligence, unannounced load-shedding, incorrect billing and harassment of consumers by certain officials of Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), saying evidence and complaints regarding the utility would be brought before the prime minister.
Talking to the media at the Punjab Assembly, the speaker said addressing the problems of people in his constituency was his responsibility and that highlighting corruption and seeking redressal of public grievances could not be termed political interference.
He said residents in LESCO-served areas were facing prolonged load-shedding and other electricity-related problems. According to complaints received by him, some officials at the SDO and XEN levels had allegedly demanded bribes ranging from Rs150,000 to Rs200,000.
He also said poor consumers were allegedly being forced to collect large sums of money for the repair of faulty transformers.
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said action against electricity theft should be taken strictly in accordance with the law, but an entire village or locality should not be punished for the alleged theft of an individual.
He stressed that the privacy and sanctity of citizens’ homes must be respected during anti-theft operations. He also questioned prolonged unannounced load-shedding in certain areas and the difficulties faced by ordinary consumers in the name of recovering line losses.
The speaker urged LESCO officers to move beyond their offices and visit affected areas to assess problems on the ground. Referring to complaints about electricity supply, exposed wires and other issues in different parts of Kasur, he said the relevant authorities were responsible for addressing public complaints promptly.
He said he had also spoken to the federal minister for energy regarding the matter and would place the entire issue before the prime minister.
The speaker said officials facing allegations of corruption would be asked to respond in accordance with the law. He maintained that accepting bribes while failing to resolve citizens’ legitimate problems was unacceptable and that such complaints could not simply be ignored.
He said citizens should not have to repeatedly approach elected representatives to get routine electricity-related issues resolved, adding that relevant officials must perform their duties and address public grievances themselves.
### Political protests
Commenting on political protests, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said political disagreement and peaceful protest were constitutional rights. However, he said violence, damage to public or private property and attacks on state institutions could not be justified as political activity.
Referring to the 2014 protests, subsequent incidents and the events of May 9, the speaker said the recurrence of such incidents required serious consideration.
He said attempts to put state institutions under pressure through organised gatherings in Islamabad could not be accepted.
The speaker said setting fire to a citizen’s home or damaging government and sensitive installations was a crime rather than a political activity. He stressed that political differences should be expressed within the framework of the Constitution and law, adding that the rule of law should apply equally to everyone.