People, traders, political parties take to the streets against high electricity bills

People, traders, political parties take to the streets against high electricity bills. People from different walks of life protested against high electricity bills in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Toba Tek Singh and Gujranwala in Punjab, and Karachi. They said that the increase in electricity rates and record inflation has further compounded their problems.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, and the city's business community strongly criticized the government for not paying attention to the plight of the common people.

The Jamaat-e-Islami held protests in different parts of the city, where party leaders demanded a review of tariffs and said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) should stop the "discount" of the electricity company and take action on its "poor performance".

During a protest on MA Jinnah Road, Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that before people take the law into their own hands, the government should take action against the white-collar criminals in K-Electric.

He praised the business community for raising their voices at a time when only a few people dare to speak out against injustice. He said that the protests by the traders would open the doors for further reaction against K-Electric across the city.

Criticizing the caretaker government, he said that they are also following in the footsteps of the previous government. They have showered the people with petrol and electricity bombs.

He said that on the one hand, it has become almost impossible for people to meet their basic needs, while on the other hand, the government is supporting the mafias including K-Electric against them. He criticized the government for increasing the prices of utilities despite the sky-high inflation.

PML-F's Sardar Abdul Rahim also condemned the recent increase in electricity bills and called it a failure of the ruling elite, saying that people are forced to pay the price for their "criminal policies".

He demanded that the government and the regulatory body review the electricity rates, otherwise the anger among the people will bring a strong reaction against them.

In his statement, he said that people are very worried and angry. If the government fails to address their real issues, they will come to the streets.

TLP held a press conference with business leaders, demanding relief for electricity consumers in the wake of rising inflation and rising prices of food items.

TLP's Mufti Qasim Fakhri said that we reject the additional charges being collected in K-Electric's electricity bills. He said that the situation is very serious, people are forced to go hungry, they are struggling to meet their basic needs while K-Electric is sending bills of thousands to even lakhs of rupees, it must be stopped.

Traders protested at Memon Mosque near and Regal Chowk in Sadar, after which they took out a rally to the West Wharf office of K-Electric against expensive electricity bills and rising petroleum prices.

All Karachi Traders Association President Atiq Mir said that traders are demanding the removal of various taxes and duties, fuel cost adjustment, peak hour tariff, TV license fee and other additional charges from electricity bills, which they consider unfair and a burden on already affected consumers.

He said that there is no need to impose general sales tax on the bills of residential consumers, similarly there should be a uniform tariff instead of different slabs.

He said that overbilling has led to the burning of bills, suspension of payment of bills, protests and rallies, indicating that the country is moving towards civil disobedience.

He urged the caretaker government to immediately resolve the issue of high electricity bills and rising petrol prices, which are directly affecting low-income and small and medium-sized traders.

All City Traders Association General Secretary Muhammad Ahmed Shamsi said that if the FIR is withdrawn, the trade bodies will jointly decide the future course of action in the next 48 hours.

He further said that we can file an FIR against the officials of K-Electric Lyari and the Chief Executive Officer of K-Electric in Napier police station.

He said that we need the full participation of consumers so that our protests and rallies can yield positive results.