Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami to hold sit-in against inflated power bills, soaring inflation

Pakistan's political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) will hold a rally against the high electricity bills and soaring inflation in the cash-strapped nation. The decision was taken in a meeting where the JI members finalised the schedule of ongoing protests against inflation, reported ARY News.

Notably, Pakistan has been witnessing protests across the country due to the hike in electricity bills. Last week, Pakistani traders went on a strike against the soaring cost of living, including higher fuel and utility bills. 

The anger among the people of Pakistan has grown as the government has not been able to come up with a plan to tackle the crisis. The traders pulled their shutters down across the country, while protesters burned tires on roads to express their anger, reported AP news. Trade and business bodies, market associations, lawyers associations and transporters were all shut down in Pakistan on September 2.  

Pakistan continues protest over the high electricity bills

JI chief Sirajul Haq summoned the senior leadership meeting on September 6, at 10:30 am, where he announced the schedule of a sit-in in a press conference, reported a Pakistan-based media outlet. Amid the rage among the Pakistanis over the inflated electric bills, the Pakistan government has officially demanded the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to authorise the transfer of three quarterly adjustments accrued during FY2022-23 to consumers of K-Electric. This would leave the extra burden of Pak currency Rs 10/Unit on the K-electric consumers. 

Further, Pakistan's Ministry of Energy (Power Division) has applied to Nepra, seeking approval for the transfer of three quarterly tariff adjustments (QTAs) pertaining to the fiscal year 2022-23. This variation would contain charges of up to Rs 4.45 per unit for the first quarter, Rs 0.4689 per unit for the second quarter and Rs 5.41 per unit for the fourth quarter.  

Meanwhile, the public hearing for the government’s petition will be held by the power regulator on September 11. The Pakistan government has submitted an application under the provisions of sections 7 and 31 of the Nepra Act, 1997, in conjunction with rule 17 of the Nepra Tariff (Standards and Procedure) Rules, 1998. These distinct adjustment recoveries are anticipated to be implemented from September to December 2023.