KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi chapter on Monday staged protest demonstrations across the city against the prevailing power crisis and issuance of inflated bills to consumers by K-Electric (KE).

It held protest demonstrations at more than a dozen city spots against the hours-long daily loadshedding, inflated bills and a proposed increase in electricity tariff.

JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman joined the main sit-in near Jauhar Mor after sunset, where he said that the party’s protest was peaceful and in line with democratic norms.

“We have always held peaceful public gatherings against civic bodies over injustices to citizens,” he said. “We also invite every party and its workers, whether from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Peoples Party or Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, to join our protest as it is a common cause of every Karachiite. I appeal to the trader community and people from all walks of life to participate in the protest against the KE’s anti-consumer attitude.”

He said KE had failed to rectify its mistake, inviting demonstrations across the city and these demonstrations were also against the “nexus” of the government, National Electric and Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and the power utility.

“Whether it’s the KE, the federal government or Nepra, they all have been exploiting the people in Karachi for long,” he said. “We demand that all these three responsible for this crisis end the exploitation to escape a strong public backlash. We demand that the authorities halt the process of overbilling and loadshedding. The power supply situation in Karachi is alarming due to the announced and unannounced loadshedding. The situation on the ground suggests that 70 per cent of KE consumers are facing the power crisis one way or another.”

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2021