Senate panel seeks record of KE privatisation as CEO skips meetings

Displeased at the continued absence of the power minister and K-Electric’s chief executive from its meetings, a Senate panel on Tuesday sought a complete record of the original privatisation and subsequent changes to the shareholding structure of Karachi’s power utility and vowed to hold its management answerable to the city’s people. The committee, led by Senator Saifullah Abro, also unanimously decided to take up with the Senate chairman the continuous absence of Power Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan and KE Chief Executive Officer Moonis Alvi from the committee’s meetings. The members, particularly Mr Abro, argued that since the government had a 24.36pc shareholding in KE, its management was answerable to the parliament and the people of Pakistan, and the committee would make sure Mr Alvi was held accountable. “He is so powerful that he says he is not accountable to the parliament. We are trying to make him accountable to the people,” Mr Abro said, adding that KE might be independent to the extent of its private shareholding, but it was answerable for the government stake.