Took up power ministry as challenge: Ahmed Mukhtar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water and Power, Ahmed Mukhtar, Monday said that he had taken the responsibility of his current portfolio as a challenge, Geo News reported.

Talking to a press conference here in Islamabad, he said that he had entreated with President Asif Ali Zardari that he be given the ministry of water and power because he wanted to make a difference, adding it was not imposed upon him.

He said, though, adding to power generation was not easy, but his ministry was working round the clock to find ways to galvanize the national grid with more megawatts.

During the press conference, he announced that, going forward, electricity load in Punjab’s urban areas would be shed for eight hours every day, whereas the rural areas would have to put up with 12-hourly power outages on daily basis.

Condemning violent anti-loadshedding protests in Punjab, he said turning public assets to ashes would not help at all.

He vowed indiscriminate action against the vandals and arsonists.

“A case would be filed against even the chief minister of Punjab if he was among the protestors who resorted to hooliganism”, the minister said.

Replying to a question, he rejected any possibility of victimization.

“No one will be framed for a crime he did not commit”, the minister assured the newsmen.