ISLAMABAD, Oct 10: Electricity is a federal subject and Khawaja Asif is the minister-in-charge. But is he? Behind the scenes, the power sector is being managed and controlled by a small group that answers not to the Khawaja but to the `talented brother`, Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

This was brought home recently. Mian Shahbaz Sharif presided over meetings where briefings were held before the recent tariff increase. Most decisions made in these meetings were leaked to the public through his nephew Abid Sher Ali, who is the state minister to Khawaja Asif.

An official in the water and power ministry told Dawn that special presentations were arranged for the Punjab chief minister in June and July. The objective behind these sessions was to provide the younger Sharif with an indepth account of the power sector and its problems so that some solutions could be found for improving the heavy loadshedding schedule.

A second reason was that at the time the federal government had approached the IMF for a bailout package, with the clear understanding that the fund`s conditions would include a hike in the tariff.

The Punjab chief minister and adviser to prime minister on water and energy Dr Mussadag Malik were tasked to suggestchanges in the tariffs to comply with these conditions.

The third person, who contributed to the energy policy of the government and was part of these briefings, was former finance minister Shaukat Tareen.

It was this select group, Dawn has learnt, that decided the tariff increases.

Most briefings were held at the chief minister house in Lahore.

The minister in change, Khawaja Asif, was not present in these briefings, claimed one official.

In recent days, it has also been noticed that Abid Ali convened several meetings on policy issues which ideally should have been headed by Khawaja Asif.

On Oct 3, a briefing was given to Abid Ali at the National Power Construction Company (NPCC) where Mr Ali passed an order that not a single megawatt more than 650MW was to be supplied to KESC.

He further directed authorities to conduct an audit of KESC as well as NPCC.

Mr Ali held another meeting on Oct 8, in which he gave directions for the implementation of the power purchase agreement between KESC and National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC). He also ordered that the dispute on billing between KESC and NTDC be resolved.

This is why many observers feel that Khawaja Asif, the federal minister forwater and power, is merely the public face and not much else.

The water and power ministry is actually being run by the Punjab chief minister, one official said, adding that some of the work is monitored and executed by Mr Ali, the state minister, while the technical issues are handled by the adviser.

Some people close to the government go as far as to say that Khawaja Asif has approached the prime minister and asked for a change in his portfolio.

They claim that he is not happy with the manner in which the affairs are being managed and he would like a different portfolio.

He is said to be interested in the privatisation ministry, which is bound to see considerable action in the future now that the government has announced its decision to privatise more than 31 stateowned enterprises.

In the Nawaz Sharif cabinet of 19971999, Khawaja Asif held the portfolio of chairman privatisation commission.

At the moment, the department is not headed by a minister. Soon after the government was formed, it appointed Eng Khurrum Dastagir Khan as state minister for privatisation. He was later also given the additional portfolio of state minister for commerce.

It is said that Mr Dastagir is also more interested in commerce than privatisation.