By IANS,
Islamabad : Lies disillusion people, said a Pakistani daily Wednesday as it wondered why a Pakistani minister claimed there will no more power cuts.An editorial in the News International said: “It is better to know the truth than to be given a string of lies that build false hopes. When such lies come from sitting ministers, they act only to reduce credibility in the government and further disillusion people.”
Citing the example of Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar who told parliament that the problem of outages had ended, the editorial said: “The statement was met with a mix of glee and bemusement.”
While power cuts did appear to decrease for a few days, the situation did not last. There have been protests in Lahore and other parts of Punjab over power cuts lasting for 10 hours in urban areas and 18 hours or more in rural localities.
An official of Pakistan electricity supplier Pepco minced no words when he told a committee of the National Assembly that there is no hope of an end to power cuts.
He wondered how Naveed Qamar had made the statement and stated that the 5,000MW shortfall the country faces could only be met if oil was supplied to thermal units.
The top official also said that improving the efficiency of distribution companies, which have for years failed to collect the huge amounts owed by big defaulters such as large companies, could also ease the desperate revenue situation.
The daily suggested that Pakistanis can continue stocking up on emergency lights, lanterns and candles rather than living on hope.
Lamenting that even UPS devices fail to function given the prolonged cuts, it said: “We should also consider how many lies have been told as far as the power crisis goes….”
Terming as entering “the realm of fantasy” a claim that the currently exorbitant power rates will fall, the editorial warned: “It does no good to deceive people. Eventually it leads to frustration and violent protests when people clash with the authorities while trying to draw attention to their plight.”