- Says those who signed these deals had ‘betrayed nation and committed injustice’
LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Sirajul Haq on Sunday announced his party would move Supreme Court against agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), blaming these agreements as the reason for skyrocketing electricity bills and inflation.
“This clearly evident from the public anger expressed during their peaceful protest this week that they do not accept the agreements with the IPPs,” JI Ameer Sirajul Haq declared while addressing a press conference after meeting of the party.
بجلی کے بلوں میں ظالمانہ اضافے کا معاملہ
امیر جماعت اسلامی سراج الحق کی زیر صدارت ہنگامی اجلاس جاری، ملک گیر کامیاب شٹرڈاون ہڑتال کے بعد آئندہ کے لائحہ عمل غور کیا جائے گا۔ جماعت اسلامی نےقیمتوں میں اضافہ واپس لینے کے لیے حکومت کو رات بارہ بجے کا وقت دیا تھا
اجلاس میں مرکزی ،… pic.twitter.com/th4Xj1tTur— Jamaat e Islami Pakistan (@JIPOfficial) September 3, 2023
Haq expressed gratitude to the people and trader community for participating in Saturday’s strike, elaborating on that it had sent a message to the government that “we don’t accept those agreements which past governments made with IPPs”.
Those who signed these deals had “betrayed the nation and committed injustice”, he added.
He highlighted the high cost of electricity despite the country being blessed with five rivers, adding that the government would soon raise the electricity tariffs to Rs90 per unit.
“We will approach the Supreme Court against the agreements with the IPPs. The burden [of these agreements] is falling on the pockets of the people,” he added.
Haq said that Pakistan is being pushed into darkness through artificial agreements, conspiracy to hinder the country’s progress, and the construction of dams.
JI leader expressed his dismay over the prime minister’s dismissal of inflation and electricity bills as non-issues. He criticised the continuous rise in petrol prices, questioning the government’s rationale for imposing additional burden on households.
“I want to tell the prime minister that it is the mistake of government to buy expensive electricity. Why are you burdening the masses further with your mistakes,” he questioned.
He said the strike had provided an opportunity for the caretaker government to renegotiate the deals, citing the public dissatisfaction and resentment at large with power costs.
Haq went on to assert that Pakistan was plagued by a cartel of petrol and diesel profiteers, mercilessly exploiting the populace.
He also called for protests outside the governor houses in all four provinces and warned that the JI could go for a wheel-jam strike if the need arose and the increase in electricity prices was not reversed.
The JI chief also assailed the rise in prices of petroleum products and called for it to be reversed as well.
Earlier in the day, a first information report (FIR) was registered in Peshawar against JI leaders for protesting against the increase in electricity prices.
According to the FIR, the charges include interference with government machinery, road blockades, causing damage to government property and forcibly closing down shops.
The case has been registered against JI leaders including advocate Khalid Gul, Zahid Shah, Tahir Zareen, Haji Qadeer, among others.
A day earlier, thousands of traders observed a shutter-down strike at many places in the country. The call came from JI and different traders’ associations and was supported by lawyers, with the legal community boycotting courtrooms.
Commercial hubs and business centres remained closed in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and other cities across the country, where abandoned bazaars were posted with placards decrying “the unreasonable increase in electricity bills and taxes”.
