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Hubco welcomes meter tampering case withdrawal

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Hub Power Company has appreciated the government's withdrawal of a criminal case against the company, but called upon the latter to revoke other charges also, which are more serious in nature, so that any further negotiations can take place.

Welcoming the withdrawal of the criminal case, the company maintained that the government must adopt certain international principles in resolving the three-year old dispute.

The government, through a press note, on Wednesday announced withdrawal of criminal charges against Hubco, pertaining to meter tampering.

"The company welcomes the decision of the government of Pakistan and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to lift criminal charges of meter tampering against the company" a spokesman of the Hubco said on Thursday. However, he clarified, the company had not yet received any official confirmation of the government's decision to withdraw the case.

Dr. Anjum Siddiqui, the Hub spokesman, however, called upon the government to address the rest of the criminal and civil cases which, according to him, were baseless too. This gesture (withdrawal of the meter case) falls short of meaningful steps that both the government and Wapda need to take, Siddiqui said, in order to establish an orderly process for resolution of the more important issues.

The meter tampering charge was the least serious of the allegations against Hubco and without merit, he said. Several serious criminal and civil charges have been levelled by the government and the Wapda and it is the position of the Hubco board of directors that those charges must be resolved so that any further negotiations could take place in an atmosphere free of coercion.

Setting pre-conditions for the future negotiation with the government, the spokesman said Hubco was prepared to meet and consider Wapda's financial situation and indicated Hubco would make proposal to alleviate the financial burden of Wapda.