KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami Central Chief, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has demanded the government to further reduce the electricity and petrol prices, whereas the JI supremo dubbed the Rs7 decrease in electricity prices a good omen.
Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq; the JI Karachi headquarters, here on Friday, the JI Chief recalled that once the same ruling regime used to say that the accords with the IPPs were un-negotiable.
However, he said, after the JI’s movement, including sit-ins and a countrywide strike, the government accepted the demands and started negotiations with the IPPs over capacity charges and that too in US dollars.
Initially, the government was reluctant to pass on the impact of revised agreements with IPPs to masses but finally the struggle of common man bore fruits and the government has started reducing the tariff, he said.
Talking about the power generation capacity of the country, he said that the capacity clocked in at 45,000 megawatt, whereas our requirement stands at 26000, so at one hand the nation pays for the additional capacity of electricity generation whereas on the other loadshedding is a matter of routine.
He said that the country doesn’t need expensive electricity with the help of petroleum or imported coal, instead hydel, solar, wind, nuclear other alternatives should be focused.
He demanded the prime minister to order forensic audit for the IPPs. He added that the IPPs enjoyed Rs1700 billion tax exemption during the past few years. He further said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) was also hands in gloves with the beneficiaries of illegal and unconstitutional practices.
JI Chief said he will unveil the details of the new phase of rights movement on April 7 in Lahore.
Talking about other issues of the country, he said that same goes for petrol and its price should be reduced in the country in accordance to the international market.
He further said that the rulers portray the Pakistan Stock Exchange as proof for economic stability just to mislead the masses. Instead, he said, the PSX does not reflect economy of the country.
He also lambasted the FBR, saying that the department has almost 26,000 employees, yet Rs1300 billion fell prey to corruption a year. When it comes to taxation, the salaried class is expected to submit Rs500 billion this year as compared to Rs5 billion by feudal lords, he said.
Talking about the education sector, he said that some 30 million children are out of schools and the situation merit a war footing response, whereas unfortunately it was not on the agenda of the ruling regime.
Sugar mafia enjoys and farmers suffer in the country, as a result the rock is cooking, he said, while suggesting that the government needs to address all the sensitive issues, including the unrest in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Talking about the global political landscape, he said that Israel violated its own truce agreement with Hamas and bombed the shelters by the United Nations and killed relief workers as well as innocent women and children in Gaza. He said that unfortunately the political elite in the country was dancing to the tunes of the United States, instead of showing some spine against Israeli atrocities in Gaza.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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