Former Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman Criticizes PoGB Government Over Power Cuts

In Gilgit City, Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB), locals are facing severe power cuts and load shedding, leaving them helpless. Recently, former Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman criticized the local government for boasting about providing uninterrupted power this winter despite lacking the necessary infrastructure.

Rehman stated, “I have personally visited every powerhouse in PoGB and taken briefings from the workforce involved. I don’t think the government can back their plans of uninterrupted power supply. The government is incompetent and unaware of the ground reality. If the authorities don’t know what’s going on, they must visit these powerhouses themselves.”

He further mentioned that despite the entire workforce working around the clock, the PoGB administration is unable to solve the problem. Rehman added, “Even when your entire workforce works for 24 hours a day and you spend your entire budget, you cannot solve the problems of PoGB before October next year. Last winter, we received electricity for only 3 hours a day, and this year, we might not even get one hour. The government is responsible for these horrible conditions as they have been looting our resources and lying to our faces.”

Rehman also highlighted delays in the construction of a 16 MW power plant, which has been ongoing since 2016. He said, “They claim they will start the 16 MW project by October this year, but the channel that is supposed to be 5 km long is not even 3 km built. Contractors believe they won’t finish the project by the end of the year. The project was scheduled to finish in 2021 but has not ended till now.”