Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The committee headed by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has submitted a preliminary report to the Prime Minister on the issue of transferring the ownership of electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to the provinces.
According to the sources, the Sindh provincial government has expressed its willingness to take ownership of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESC) and Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO), while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government has refused to take ownership of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and has said that if the ownership of hydropower is given to the province, then it will take ownership of PESCO.
Sources also stated that during the recent meeting, the Defense Minister has also proposed to develop a mechanism for power purchase between the provinces. They said that Chairman National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has supported the transfer of DISCOs to the provinces in phase wise, while the Law Secretary has proposed to issue the shares of distribution companies (DISCOs) in the stock market. They said Secretary Law has recommended privatization of 26 percent stakes in some companies (DISCOs) with management control. The next meeting of the committee headed by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif will be held on April 17 and 18 for negotiations with the provincial governments of Punjab and Balochistan on the matter of transferring the ownership of electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to the provinces.
