The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday held over 100 protest demonstrations across Karachi over load-shedding, overcharging in power bills and acute shortage of water during the outgoing heatwave.
The protest demonstrations were mainly staged outside the K-Electric’s (KE) offices, water hydrants and major points in the city. According to a statement issued by the JI, people belonging to various walks of life participated in the protests. They carried placards and banners, and chanted slogans against the KE, Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) and government.
The protesters demanded the government bind the KE and water corporation to bring the power outages and water shortage to an end. Addressing a protest, Karachi JI Emir Munem Zafar said water and electricity crises were top two issues of Karachi that were interconnected.
Talking about the electricity crisis, he said that the government and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) were responsible for controlling load-shedding and ensuring that the KE was running its affairs in a fair manner.
However, he said, the two had not only failed to discharge their obligations but also played the role of a facilitator for the KE’s wrongdoings.
He maintained that the power utility had been carrying out load-shedding of up to 18 hours in some areas. The troika comprising the KE, government and Nepra had left no other option for Karachiites but to agitate, he said.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also held a protest against load-shedding and overcharging outside the KE head office at Gizri. A large number of PTI leaders, workers and citizens participated in the protest. They chanted slogans against what they termed the KE’s excesses and demanded that Karachi be declared a load-shedding-free city.
Addressing the protesters, Sindh PTI President Haleem Adil Sheikh said Karachi was having load-shedding of 18 to 20 hours daily amid intense heat. He lamented that power cuts had made the life unbearable for citizens.
Sheikh pointed out that electricity tariffs had been raised three times in one month, making it impossible for people to pay their bills. He criticised the Sindh government for sending police to stop the protest.
The Pakistan Peoples Party had opted to side with the KE instead of the people, he said. He remarked that the K-Electric had become ‘Killer Electric’ as people had died due to load-shedding.
KE’s statement
The KE has said that it has been ensuring uninterrupted power supply in 70 per cent of its network. In a statement issued on Friday, the power utility said the Sindh government had to pay its Rs10.5 billion dues and due to non-payment of the dues, it had become challenging to ensure uninterrupted power supply. The KE appealed to the government to immediately clear its dues.