News Detail
Event Title: Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani, Chairman Senate Functional Committee on Problems Of Less Developed Areas presiding over a meeting of the committee at Parliament Lodges Islamabad On November 26, 2025.
Event Date: 2025-11-26
A meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas was held under the Chairmanship of Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani to discuss matters related to the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, NADRA, the Ministry of Energy (Power Division), Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO), and HESCO. The Committee expressed displeasure over the absence of the concerned Ministers and directed that their presence must be ensured in future meetings. The meeting was attended by Senator Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Senator Aslam Abro, and Senator Danesh Kumar.
The Committee received a briefing on the shifting of the Jacobabad XEN office to a location far from the city, causing inconvenience to local residents. The Chairman inquired about the transfer of the former XEN Jacobabad despite a pending inquiry into an electrocution incident, raising serious concerns over this administrative practice. Senator Aslam Abro noted that the former XEN had shifted the office 6 km away from city limits to avoid public complaints. The Committee unanimously resolved that the Jacobabad XEN office should be relocated back within city premises to facilitate the general public, even if a rented building has to be acquired. The Chairman directed the Ministry of Energy to provide the inquiry report against the former XEN and recommended his suspension until the completion of the electrocution inquiry.
The Ministry of Interior briefed the Committee regarding the relocation of the NADRA office Jacobabad to the National Highway instead of a site within the city. The Committee expressed concerns that the highway location is contributing to serious road accidents and causing difficulties for the public. The Chairman directed NADRA to identify two to three suitable government buildings within Jacobabad city for shifting the NADRA Centre, assuring the Committee’s full support for the relocation.
The Committee was also briefed on the issue of continuous electricity bills being issued despite disconnections in flood-affected areas since 2010. Senator Danesh questioned how bills were being generated when no electricity was being supplied. The Committee further inquired about any bill-waiver scheme for the 2010 flood-affected areas of Sindh. It was informed that the bills pertain only to arrears and no new charges have been added. The Chairman raised concern over the non-recovery of these arrears for the past 15 years and called for a concrete plan to resolve the issue. He directed that the matter be settled within 15 days, either by categorizing the longstanding unpaid arrears as bad debt or by presenting a viable recovery plan.
The Committee also received a briefing regarding the promotion of several SEPCO and HESCO officers despite ongoing inquiries by NAB and FIA. The Committee was assured that no promotions had been granted prior to clearance by the relevant investigating bodies. However, the Chairman directed HESCO and SEPCO to obtain written clarification from NAB and FIA on the inquiry status of the officers who received promotions and submit these clarifications to the Committee within three working days. He further directed the Power Division to verify whether the promotion procedures were correctly followed by the formerly dissolved Board of Directors (BOD) and to submit a report accordingly.