Daily Times

Sir: Our esteemed Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik had a sixth sense about the two fires that erupted in the factories of Lahore and Karachi. According to Mr Malik, both were acts of terrorism. I agree with the minister and believe that the people responsible for it should be punished. In both the factories, generators became the cause of fire. In Lahore, some chemical near the generator caught fire when a spark from the latter flew into it. In Karachi, the generator exploded due to excessive voltage. Therefore, it is actually government and the minister for water and power who stand responsible for the sad incident because had there been no incessant and cruel load shedding there would not have been generators and hence the fire.

Instead of wasting his time in such speculations, Mr Malik should help government find a solution to the internal debt of the IPPs and improve the transportation of furnace oil to the thermal power units. He should also check that the trucking companies do not steal and mix water in furnace oil, which affects the quality of the oil, reduces energy production and increases the cost of energy.

The other day, a fire in Islamabad’s Blue Area was averted by the quick response of the firefighters but the reason for the fire was again diesel bought for the generator of the building. There are countless other similar incidents of death and injury caused by electricity load shedding in our country. Rather than blaming unknown and invisible terrorists and creating fear among the population, I would like to request the esteemed interior minister to help resolve the country’s power crisis on a war footing.

ROHAIL BASEER

Peshawar