ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Privatization has raised serious concerns over the government’s decision to proceed with the privatization of Utility Stores, despite the committee’s earlier recommendations to halt the process.
In a meeting chaired by Muhammad Farooq Sattar on Monday, the committee discussed the privatization of various loss-making entities, highlighting the urgency of safeguarding employees’ rights and resolving nationwide electricity concerns.
According to a press release, the Secretary of the Ministry of Industries informed the committee that the operations of Utility Stores have been officially closed. However, he assured that protecting the rights of around 10,000 to 11,000 employees remains the government’s top priority.
Officials explained that Utility Stores had been profitable when government subsidies were in place. Following subsidy withdrawal, however, the organization’s operations turned unprofitable. The government has pledged to clear employees’ and vendors’ dues in two phases, totaling Rs. 27 billion.
The committee demanded a detailed breakup of all outstanding dues in its next session.
Concerns Over Load-Shedding and Power Losses
The committee also expressed concern over nationwide load-shedding. Officials clarified that there is currently no electricity shortfall, but load management is being conducted on feeders where electricity theft or line losses are prevalent.
The Standing Committee recommended that the Power Division disconnect supply only for feeders or consumers involved in theft rather than imposing widespread outages.
Furthermore, it urged the Minister for Power to hold regional-level meetings with MNAs to resolve constituency-level energy issues.
The committee also directed the government to find a resolution for Pakistan Engineering Company (PECO) and address public grievances.
