ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has been urged to direct the secretaries of ministries of energy, water and power and others to stop making payments to the IPPs as it cannot be justified to be lawful within the framework of the Constitution, the Power Purchase Agreements, the Implementation Agreements, and other related agreements.

President Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Bar Association, on Monday, filed a petition under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution and cited the Federation through the Cabinet secretary, secretary Ministry of Water and Power, secretary Ministry of Energy, chairman WAPDA, the Central Power Purchasing Agency, and CEO/ Director NTDC as respondents.

The petitioners submitted that despite the constitutional guarantee to a dignified life, citizens across the country are suffering due to exorbitant electricity bills, unannounced and prolonged load shedding, and the overloading of transmission and distribution lines which has led to frequent forced outages.

President for resolution of IPP issue thru consensus

The situation is exacerbated by the inefficiencies and mismanagement within the power sector, which have not only compromised the quality of life but also burdened the citizens with unsustainable financial liabilities, they added.

The petitioners clarified that they do not seek to obstruct or cancel the performance of any contract which contain fair, reasonable and lawful terms and conditions and incentives offered to the investors, but seek a judicial review of the energy policies, the acts or lack of act of the respondents, and the contracts entered into by the respondents with the IPPs.

They submitted that as the problem of capacity payments, higher costs of inputs and fuels, which are environmentally unfriendly, payments to IPPs that are shut down and/ or are incapable of production having the effect of crippling the people and the businesses of Pakistan, all raise questions of public importance with reference to the enforcement of Fundamental Rights.

The petitioners requested the Supreme Court to declare the Power General Policy, 1994, issued by the government of Pakistan and all subsequent similar policies and extension, thereof, unconstitutional and opposed to public policy of Pakistan and strike them down to that extent.

They also asked to declare the Power Purchase Agreements, the Implementation Agreements and related agreements with the terms such as payment of capacity charges, guaranteed payments without performance of obligations of IPPs etc, signed by the respondents with the IPPs are one sided, unfair, unreasonable, unjustified, non-transparent, unlawful, un-Islamic, discriminatory, exploitative and void.

They also asked the Court to direct the respondents that each Power Purchase Agreements, Implementation Agreements and other related agreements be disclosed to the apex court and the petitioners, and each IPP be dealt with separately in the manner;

a. IPPs wholly or majority owned by the relevant respondents and/ or the State or State enterprises.

b. Power Purchase Agreements and Implementation Agreements; etc, with IPPs which are not capable of producing any electricity and not complying with their “performance” obligations under the agreements but are still being paid the capacity charges and guaranteed payments.

c. Power Purchase Agreements and Implementation Agreements with any foreign investors which have since divested their interests and IPPs are now owned solely by Pakistani investors and to determine whether there is any government guarantee/sovereign guarantee, which may no longer be valid and/ or is capable of modification or revoking.

d. Power Purchase Agreements and Implementation Agreements with foreign investors and companies, particularly those where any government/sovereign guarantee has been given and they are being paid unfair and unreasonable capacity charges and guaranteed payments and such agreements be further segregated on the aforesaid basis.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024

Comments

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Kashif Aug 06, 2024 09:51am
Good news, at least someone has taken up the matter. Wishing that decision will be based on law and constitution which is in favor of public.
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mustafa Aug 06, 2024 10:54am
stop this nonsense. They will go to international court and will be a big blow. Most of them are Chinese and investors have taken loans (they have to pay Banks too), Don't ruin relation with China.
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mustafa Aug 06, 2024 10:55am
Why don't we push people to pay bills? Peshawer theft is around 65 billion PKR and Hyderabad theft is 55 billion PKR alone .. don't give birth to a child if you can't pay and do bijli chori .. SHAME
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Toy Soldier Aug 06, 2024 01:24pm
Will not be heard by SC.
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Builder Aug 06, 2024 02:22pm
SC has no idea what the real issue is. It's the DISCOs infrastructure which was supposed to be upgraded as well as plants and capacity kept on adding.
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JK Aug 06, 2024 06:05pm
And you will be taken to world court and will pay hefty fine. Remember Reko?
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Faraz Aug 06, 2024 09:28pm
Thanks to Jamat islami for bringing attention to this matter.
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