'Power theft' during Nawaz rally: Lesco report today

LAHORE Commenting over the reports of power theft during the public gathering organised the PML-N, Lesco Chief Executive Azhar Iqbal has commented that the factory in which the meeting the meeting was held has sanctioned load. He said if the illegal connections, popularly known as Kundas, were used from the line supplying electricity to the factory, it could not be termed as theft. But in case the Kundas were used from the electricity poles outside the premises it was a clear theft.
He said a committee had been formed to determine the reality, which would submit a report on Tuesday (today), adding that the punishment depended on the amount of the electricity theft.
Earlier, taking serious notice of the issue, Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf ordered the Lesco officials to submit a detailed report over the issue within 24 hours.
It is important to recall that the gathering was organised by the PML-N in connection with NA-123 by-polls, which was addressed by none other than the party chief, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, himself.
Describing the power theft as a national crime, the chief executive officer vowed to take stern action against the culprits.
According Lesco officials, electricity was used while through illegal connections, popularly known as kundas, directly from the electricity poles, and an inquiry would be conducted to probe into the open high-handedness.
Reacting to the reports, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said they were investigating the matter, and Lesco would be compensated for the losses it suffered.
But another provincial minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman denied the incident, saying such an act was just out of question.
Our Staff Reporter adds: PML-N has categorically denied that electricity had been stolen in the public meeting of the party at NA-123 where PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif addressed a gathering to woo support for his party candidate Malik Pervez on Monday.
Addressing a late night Press conference MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Provincial Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman and Pervez Malik clarified to the media that no electricity theft took place at the said meeting.
They said they had made their own arrangement of a heavy generator on the occasion.
Khawaja Saad without specifically blaming anybody as to who had put the wire with the main streetlight wire running near the venue, said none of the equipment used during the meeting was used for electricity theft.
He said the PML-N at the meeting had arranged its own generator.
Malik Pervez, himself an engineer said from the technical angle of the matter that the wire shown by the media was not sufficiently powerful to bear the load of power used in the meeting.
Saad said on learning about the matter through media, they had inquired from the technician and other men engaged with the arrangements and they denied of any wrongdoing.
Later on, he said, they had also asked the LESCO and the district administration and came to know that i fact the connection in question was made by the administration as a routine matter to provide light to the main GT Road as they usually do when smelling any hazards in order to ensure security of the citizens. He reiterated that the stolen power was not used in the meeting and all their equipment ran on generator power.
He also said that thin wire used in connection in question could not sustain the load used in the meeting.
He said the media should have beforehand confirmed the matter before putting it on air.
Meanwhile, Rana Sanaullah said they have counterchecked the matter and say with full responsibility that no electricity theft took place at the function.