ISLAMABAD: With the last date for submission of nomination papers expiring today, former members of Pakistan’s National Assembly living in Parliamentary Lodges seem to be rushing to pay their electricity bills as Rs11m has been deposited with Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) in the last couple of days, out of total outstanding dues of Rs23m, sources said yesterday.
The sources said many ex-members of parliament, including Dr Ayatullah Durrani (Rs.106,314), Moulana Malik Wazeer (Rs12,635) and Roshan Din Jonejo (Rs185,753) had paid their electricity bills.
They said the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Fehmida Mirza (Rs338,952) and Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi (Rs349,419) were also named in the list of defaulters, but a press release issued on March 5 by the National Assembly Secretariat had stated that Pakistan Works Department was responsible for non-payment of outstanding bills.
They said the members had also paid Rs1.2m for servant quarters out of total dues of Rs3.5m, and many more were in touch with the department concerned to pay the remaining dues.
Similarly, gas bills worth Rs4m have been paid by the members in the past few days.
The nomination papers of any person can be rejected if he/she has defaulted on paying government dues or public utility charges including electricity, gas, telephone and water bills exceeding Rs10,000 for over six months at the time of filing nomination papers.
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