PESHAWAR: Jamat-i-Islami workers staged rallies against heavy electricity tariffs and taxes on Sunday, and asked the government to scrap the contracts with the Independent Power Producers to bring down power rates in the country.

The demonstrations were staged on the call of JI central chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.

Addressing JI workers during a demonstration in the provincial capital, party’s Peshawar emir Behrullah said instead of reducing its own expenses, the ruling elite was overburdening the general public with taxes.

He alleged IPPs were paid without producing electricity, which had destroyed the country’s economy.

Ask govt to scrap contracts with IPPs to bring down power rates

Mr Behrullah said that prices of daily-use commodities were rising by the day.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was producing cheap electricity, but the government purchased electricity from IPPs. He demanded termination of the contracts with IPPs.

On this occasion, JI workers also offered funeral prayers in absentia of the Lebanon’s Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrullah.

In Lower Dir, Jamaat workers staged a sit-in at the Timergara Shaheed Chowk against inflation, soaring power tariff and taxes.

Hundreds of JI workers from different areas participated in the protest. The protesters blocked the Timergara Bypass and chanted slogans against the government and Peshawar Electric Supply Company.

On the occasion, JI district chief Izazul Mulk Afkari, deputy chief Arshad Zaman, president Anjuman-i-Tajiran Timergara Haji Anwaruddin, and others said power consumers were unable to pay the soaring bills due to government’s failure to end contracts with IPPs.

They said the country was in the grip of record inflation, political and economic crises.

The speakers demanded of the government to act upon the agreement made with the JI chief Naeemur Rehman regarding the scrapping of the contracts with IPPs.

They threatened the people would start a civil disobedience movement if the prices of electricity, gas and edibles were not controlled within weeks.

In Charsadda, addressing the participants of protest demonstration at Farooq-i-Azam Chowk, party’s district chief Shah Hussain Advocate, general secretary Saifullah Durrani and others termed taxes in power bills as cruelty and injustice with the poor people.

They said JI chief Naeemur Rehman had come out on the streets and staged a ‘historic’ sit-in in Islamabad. They said the government should fulfill the promises made with the JI chief.

In Mohmand, Jamaat activists staged rallies at the D-Chowk and Gazi Baig areas of Halimzai tehsil against inflation and imposition of different taxes in utility bills.

JI Mohmand chief Mohammad Saeed Khan, who led the demonstration, demanded of the federal government to honour the promises made with JI for winding up Islamabad sit-in. He urged the government to reconsider agreements with IPPs and reduce rates of electricity.

In Mansehra, JI workers took out a rally and staged a sit-in to protest the high electricity rates and inflation in the country.

“Our central emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman had given the government a deadline to withdraw extra surcharges and levies in the electricity bills, but to no avail,” Dr Bahadar Shah, JI district emir, said while speaking at the rally, which was taken out from JI Markaz, with participants marching through the Karakoram Highway and Abbottabad Road.

The party activists and workers from across the district also staged a sit-in on the KKH in Ghazikot area and raised slogans in support of their demands, and against the government.

Dr Bahadar said that because of the current highest-ever inflation, people couldn’t meet the expenses incurred on purchasing edibles and children’s education.

Another JI leader, Asim Shahzad said their peaceful struggle would continue till the government rationalised electricity tariff.

“We want an immediate review of electricity tariff, reduction in taxes on salaries of individuals and effective measures to curb inflation,” he said.

Meanwhile, JI activists also staged a sit-in in the neighbouring Torghar district, and demanded immediate withdrawal of taxes and surcharges from electricity bills.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024