KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is set to stage a sit-in protest outside the Governor House Sindh against the high energy tariffs, and soaring inflation on Wednesday (today), requesting the public for an overwhelming attendance.

Munem Zafar, the JI’s Karachi Chief, announced at a news conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq that his party is going to hold a sit-in protest against the unbearable power cuts and higher energy tariffs besides the record inflation.

He added that the protest will take place outside the Sindh Governor’s House at 5 pm on Wednesday in a bid to pressure the federal government into reducing the energy prices and ensuring an uninterrupted electricity supply to the consumers.

Urging the public to appear at the protest in a big number, he said that an overwhelming participation will help raise the voice for ending the government’s agreement with the IPPs and cancellation of the K-Electric license.

Munem said: “The government and its predecessors have been misleading the nation in the name of capacity charges for the IPPs,” adding that the governments are compelled to pay Rs10 billion to the IPPs regardless whether or not they produce electricity.

These IPPs receive billions of rupees by the governments under the head of capacity charges, he said, adding that the independent power plants generate only 10 percent of their scale. He alleged that “kickbacks” are behind the “vicious” game for pleasing a few individuals.

He said that the Karachi’s power consumers are going to pay more by Rs10 billion to the K-Electric since it has sought the federal government’s permission to scale up electricity prices by Rs5.45 a unit under the head of fuel adjustment charges.

“The government is planning to pay the KE in dollars. Any such attempt will not be tolerated,” he said and demanded for the forensic audit of the KE and IPPs’ accounts at earliest. He called it an “irrational” decision, which is meant to humiliate the poor at large.

He also urged the government to ends all contracts with the IPPs and the KE license to help the public. He repeated his appeal to the public for presence at the protest. He also lamented the government’s weak approach of taxing the salaries class more than the agriculture land lords.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024