Govt has come up against a brick wall on IPPs: JI

DNA

RAWALPINDI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeem said on Tuesday that the government wasn’t taking any steps instead only making announcements despite our multiple calls.

Speaking to media, the JI emir said that they expected the government to resolve the issues of inflated bills, adding that the capacity payments given to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were unacceptable to the people and that the government was not serious in reforming this sector.

He demanded forensic audits of all the IPPs, suggesting that chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) should also be a member of the forensic committee.

He deplored that people living in rented houses were paying more electricity bills than their house rents.

“The JI’s Peshawar sit-in will be historic. We will also announce strike after Aug 14. We want to give you a message that we don’t accept this bill. The tax net shouldn’t be increased unnecessarily. The government has included those people in the committee who are responsible for the problem. We don’t want committees and announcements rather actions. Our committee can fight the case of 250 million people. We won’t retreat as we plan to move towards the Murree Road on Aug 8”, he announced.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Tuesday announced staging a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s House in Lahore on August 11.

Earlier, the Jamaat continued a sit-in in Rawalpindi for twelve days while in Karachi for four days.

According to the Jamaat spokesperson Qaiser Sharif, the JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman will also address the Lahore sit-in.

The spokesperson said that Jamaat-e-Islami will expand the scope of protest to more cities.

Ziauddin Ansari said that the people of Lahore know how to take someone down whom they lift to power. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman is the only hope of this desperate nation, he said.

Abdul Aziz Abid advised rulers to learn from Bangladesh’s happenings. Ousted PM Hasina Wajid could not subdue the people despite all her dominance. He said that Jamaat workers were die-hard and persistent.