KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Wednesday filed a resolution in the Sindh Assembly condemning ‘exorbitant pricing’ by independent power producers (IPPs), demanding review in terms of their contracts with the government and sought a substantial relief to the people in power tariff.

Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Ali Khurshidi along with party legislators Najam Mirza and Shariq Jamal filed the resolution in the assembly’s secretariat calling it a “crucial document which represents people’s aspirations”.

“It will become an issue of survival if capacity charges continued to be paid to the IPPs,” said the resolution.

“Per unit price of the electricity has become unbearable for both domestic and industrial consumers. Agreements with the IPPs and payments are burden on the economy. The IPP agreements have become threat to the national economy and social prosperity which could ultimately dent the security and sovereignty of the country.”

The MQM-P in recent weeks has drummed up its campaign against the skyrocketing prices of electricity and “irrational” contracts of the government with the IPPs.

Earlier this month, senior party leader Mustafa Kamal had called upon the government to deregulate the power sector and demanded that licences for more electricity supply companies should be issued across the country to end the “authoritative and dictatorial” control of the existing companies and provide relief to the people.

The leader of the MQM-P, which is an ally of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government in the centre, said that the country’s overall development budget was Rs1,400 billion while the payable amount to the power companies had crossed Rs1,700 billion.

The time, he said, had come to bring an end to the ‘monopoly’ of distribution companies for a healthy competition and cheaper electricity to consumers.

He said that the deregulation would bring competition and offer consumers opportunity to pick a power supply company of their choice depending on its performance and price.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2024