The JI protest Karachi threat came on Wednesday, when the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) warned K-Electric (KE), the city's power utility, that it would call a citywide protest if the company did not end prolonged loadshedding and inflated billing. Loadshedding means planned or unplanned power cuts when supply falls short of demand. The warning is conditional, and the party has not announced a date or a venue for any demonstration.
The party also demanded a forensic audit of the utility, meaning a detailed examination of its accounts. It claimed that Rs1,500 billion had been received by the power utility in subsidies (government payments that lower the cost of power) over the past two decades. This figure is the party's claim, and the reporting does not include an official response to it.
What the JI chief said
JI Karachi chief Monam Zafar spoke at a press conference outside the KE head office in Gizri, which the party held against what it called the “worst loadshedding in the city”. He accused KE, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), which regulates the power sector, and the government of a “nexus” that had made life miserable for citizens. He said the utility buys cheap electricity from the national grid but sells expensive power to Karachi residents.
Zafar recalled that the 2005 privatisation of KE had promised an end to loadshedding and a better system for generation, transmission and distribution. He said the company was sold for Rs15bn and that loadshedding had since increased, while heavy bills were being sent to consumers. He also questioned why an entire area should be penalised when, in his words, 96pc of residents pay their bills and 4pc do not. He said Nepra rules do not allow the electricity of a whole area to be cut off.
KE's response
A KE spokesperson responded to the press conference and said the duration of loadshedding depends on the level of electricity theft and losses in the area. He urged customers to pay their bills on time. The reporting does not include any further comment from the company on the audit demand or the billing complaints.
What happens next
The sources do not say when the JI protest Karachi call would be issued, or where it would take place. They also do not say whether KE or Nepra will respond to the audit demand. The party's warning sits within the wider Karachi electricity crisis, and it has linked any citywide protest to whether KE changes its conduct.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Jamaat-i-Islami ne K-Electric ko warning di hai ke agar lambi loadshedding aur zyada bills khatam nahi hue to shehar bhar mein protest ki call di jaayegi. Party ne KE ka forensic audit bhi maang kiya hai. KE ka kehna hai ke loadshedding bijli chori aur losses par depend karti hai, aur logon se bills time par jama karne ki apeal ki hai. Abhi protest ki tareekh nahi di gayi, is liye Karachi ke bijli ke masle par nazar rakhein.
