KARACHI: Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, has urged a reduction in the electricity tariff across Pakistan rather than limiting the relief to Punjab.
During a press conference in Karachi on Monday, he stressed that the proposed Rs14 per unit reduction for two months in Punjab should be extended to all provinces.
Rehman condemned the heavy burden placed on the public by Independent Power Producers (IPPs), attributing the blame to successive governments, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He went on to say that the public could no longer bear the excessive capacity charges placed under these agreements.
He said that if the government failed to honour the agreement made with JI to give relief to the people, the party would hold long marches towards Islamabad from across the country. He also announced a countrywide shutter-down strike on August 28.
Rehman, addressing the economic issues said that the government’s faulty policies have led to the closure of industries across the country, causing significant distress among industrialists.
He noted that the high cost of electricity has sparked a severe economic crisis, with shocking revelations about how the economy was devastated by the IPP deals. He further added that the public is still paying for electricity that was neither consumed nor produced.
He also lamented the deteriorating state of water supply and sanitation in Karachi, attributing the city’s problem to the incompetence of the mayor and provincial minister.
Commenting on the aftermath of the recent rains, the JI chief said the situation in Karachi and the other areas of Sindh highlighted the poor performance of the Sindh government led by the PPP.
He said despite billions spent on road construction and repairs in Karachi, the city’s roads remain in poor condition after the rains.
