Rallies staged against FPA across KP

PESHAWAR: The activists of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday staged protest demonstrations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to condemn the government for fleecing people through hike in electricity prices and fuel price adjustment (FPA) in electricity bills.

In Peshawar, the protest rally was led by district president Ateequr Rahman and other leaders of the party, including Bahrullah Khan, Hafiz Hashmat Khan, Khalid Gul Mohmand and others. The rally started from the historic Mohabat Khan mosque just after Friday prayers and the protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the government. The protesters gathered at the Chowk Yadgar after passing through different routes.

The protesters were chanting against the government for its failed policies and hike in prices of daily use items. Speaking on the occasion, Ateequr Rahman blasted the government for what he termed its complete failure to deliver. He said that the government had failed in fulfilling the promises it had made with the people during its election campaign.

He said that the people were dying of hunger and the government was imposing more and more taxes on them. The fuel adjustment price was the height of cruelty on part of the rulers with the poor masses, he added.

He warned the government to review its policies and withdraw the unjustified fuel adjustment prices otherwise the people would stop paying utility bills. In Swabi, JI, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and various social bodiesstaged protests and demanded the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) to immediately withdraw FPA tax, terming it an injustice.

The said the FPA was tantamount to transferring the entire burden onto poor consumers and in most cases, the FPA was more than the actual cost of electricity. Da Haq Awaz, a local welfare body led by one Ihsanul Haq, also staged a protest and called on the people to come out of their homes as he said the government did not want to resolve the issue by peaceful means.

Leaders of various political parties said they would render sacrifices for the cause of the public, and rejected the FPA while calling for a full-fledged campaign to reverse the unpopular decision of the government. Protest rallies were also staged in Bannu, Lower Dir and other districts of the province.