Pak: Jamaat-e-Islami stages mass protests in Karachi against high electricity costs, government failures
Sep 30, 2024
Karachi [Pakistan], September 30 : Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and several Islamic organisations in Pakistan organised sit-ins at 13 key locations across Karachi on September 29 to protest against the government's failure to reduce high electricity costs and excessive taxation.
The demonstrations were aimed at highlighting the growing burden on the public due to rising utility costs.
During the protests, funeral prayers in absentia were held for Shaheed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. JI Karachi Ameer Monem Zafar led the prayers on the National Highway, reported The Express Tribune.
Speaking at the event, Zafar lamented the state of Pakistan's leadership, saying, "The nation's leaders are focused on dominating their people." He criticised the government for protecting the "electricity mafia," known as Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
According to Zafar, the ruling regime has been colluding with K-Electric in Karachi and IPPs in other parts of the country.
Karachi, a city with over 30 million residents, has become the centre of multiple crises, Zafar remarked. He highlighted that its citizens are dealing with severe shortages of electricity, water, gas, and numerous civic issues, the Express Tribune reported.
"The megacity has been surrendered to criminals and mafias," Zafar said, citing the influence of the tanker mafia, K-Electric, and street criminals, which he believes have made the city nearly uninhabitable.
The sit-ins saw JI Karachi leadership, along with district heads, addressing protestors at the 13 locations across the city. Participants carried placards and banners, shouting slogans against the ruling regime and those responsible for the ongoing hardships faced by the people of Karachi.
In an earlier protest, on August 13, JI's Rehman had announced another demonstration after his party deferred a two-week protest in Rawalpindi, reported the Express Tribune.
This followed a July sit-in in Rawalpindi where JI urged the government to revise its electricity policies to provide relief to citizens.
Pakistan's energy crisis, which dates back to the 1970s, continues to be a major issue, exacerbated by over-employment within the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC).
