KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has rejected the US dollar-based seven-year power generation tariff for the K-Electric and warned that Karachiites would no longer carry the burden of blunders made by the government and the power utility.

Addressing a press conference outside the KE headquarters here on Tuesday, JI-Karachi chief Monem Zafar said that the government and the National Electric Power Regularity Authority (Nepra) were hands in gloves with the private power company in all its wrong doings.

He said that the regulatory authority has become a rubber stamp for the K-Electric as it shelters and caters all its undue demands on the cost of severe losses on the part of Karachiites.

He also demanded the authorities to revoke the licence of the KE and run a forensic audit of the company accounts.

The JI leader highlighted that billions of rupees of taxpayers’ money are wasted every year as subsidiaries for the KE despite the fact that it was a private company aimed at earnings and that it was offering most expensive electricity in the country.

He further said that as a result of the JI activism against capacity charges to IPPs, dollar-based agreements are being brought to an end across the country. However, he said, at the same time the government has been mulling for dollar-based payments and capacity charges to the KE.

He said that the JI has also decided to appear before Nepra on Nov 28 as a petitioner against the KE.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024