Apparently, the Ministry of Water and Power and power distribution companies in Pakistan have become extraordinarily powerful. As part of Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali’s “indiscriminate drive” against non-payment of electricity bills, Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) cut electricity supply to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the President House, the Supreme Court, the Pakistan Secretariat and offices of the Water and Power ministry itself. The two government departments responsible for payment of utility bills concerning aforementioned victims of the power cut are Pakistan Works Department (PWD) and Capital Development Authority (CDA). Therefore, it is safe to say that strict instructions by the relevant government officials to government departments may have sufficed. But of course, that is not the kind of stuff that makes headlines.
For that, we need drama, no matter how nonsensical. The public simply loves the idea of the Prime Minister sitting in his lavish lounge, feasting on a royal meal and suddenly, everything goes dark. The large-screen television, the high-performance air-conditioner, the million bulbs on the exquisite chandelier – off. There, as the top elected man of the country sits in silence and disbelief, sweaty and hungry, a thought enters his puzzled mind: my people, they must not go through what I just experienced, this inexcusably terrible experience. I will not let them suffer a second more than necessary. Bring in the electricity people and let’s sort this mess out once and for all. What a great story! Only it isn’t remotely true. And that is what’s important to remember when the government is using gimmicks to create a false impression before the masses.
What is the government exactly trying to tell the people through this story? That even the Prime Minister cannot escape the wrath of government-run ministries if found to be at fault? That the President and the SC are both helpless before IESCO because the rule of law has been established? That might is not right anymore? That political expedience and undemocratic behaviors no more stand in the way of equal treatment for all? Clearly, the reality is very different. Some might say the opposite of what Mr Abid Sher Ali would have everyone believe. Political parties want to show off before voters, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, gimmicks are unacceptable and unethical if not backed by concrete action. The media should track the progress made by the Water and Power Ministry now that it has put itself in the spotlight. It is hoped that great success will be achieved in the journey which has begun in such spectacular fashion.