KARACHI: The newly launched Awam Pakistan party staged its first public show in the metropolis on Sunday by organising a protest outside the headquarters of the K-Electric.

Speaking at the demonstration, former finance minister and one of the party founders Miftah Ismail demanded that the KE be stopped overbilling.

He said that electricity tariff had been increased by 350 per cent since 2015.

He hinted at moving court against the power utility.

Awam Pakistan party stages demonstration outside KE head office

He also questioned the competence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif government and its key ally Pakistan Peoples Party as they placed the burden of “ruling elites’ failures” on ordinary citizens.

He took a jibe at the PPP which had pledged to provide 300 units of free electricity, but the reality has been starkly different.

“You [government] have increased the electricity prices by 350 per cent over the years, but can you share the details that how much salaries you have increased of a common man during this period,” he asked.

He further said that if ordinary citizens were not receiving free electricity, no one else should either.

He strongly criticised inflated bills coupled with hours-long power and their impact on the people. He said that the total electricity bill should be less if there was 12 hours of loadshedding daily.

He said that the KE’s meter reading system was flawed and unfair. With different slabs of power consumption and higher rates for more usages of electricity, he said most of the consumers received bills for using more than 500 units in a month.

“Why don’t we see any bill that shows consumption of 499 units? Why do you show consumption of 199 units as 201 units?” he asked while pointing out the slab mechanism of electricity bills.

He said that people were dying and starving amid growing inflation, but the ruling elite was not ready to compromise on its lifestyles. “This won’t work anymore,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024