JI announces protest against inflated electricity bills

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) announced on Saturday that it would stage a protest against the exorbitant electricity bills.

Addressing a seminar in Lahore, JI Ameer Sirajul Haq lashed out at political opponents and the caretaker government, saying, “The caretaker government is following the footsteps of the previous governments in terms of taking wrong decisions for the sake of the country.”

“The power bills have increased three times within one month. People have been compelled to commit suicide due to the ballooning inflation. The electricity bill of at least Rs50,000 has been sent to every house,” said Mr Haq.

He made it clear that the JI would stage a protest outside of the power distribution companies.

Earlier, interim Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that that he has summoned an emergency meeting over the price of electricity and consumers’ inflated bills, adding that he will hold consultations to provide maximum relief to power consumers.

The prime minister has directed the Ministry of Energy and power distributions companies to present him with a detailed briefing over the issue.

بجلی کے بھاری بِلوں کے معاملے پر میں نے کل وزیر اعظم ہاؤس میں ہنگامی اجلاس طلب کر لیا ہے۔ اجلاس میں وزارت بجلی اور تقسیم کار کمپنیوں سے بریفنگ لی جائے گی اور صارفین کو بجلی کے بِلوں کے حوالے سے زیادہ سے زیادہ ریلیف دینے کے حوالے سے مشاورت کی جائے گی۔

— Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) August 26, 2023