Citizens protest against higher electricity bills in Pakistan
Deployment of police force requested at IESCO Rawalpindi offices
Web Desk
There are reports of committing suicides in the country by several persons after receiving unaffordable higher electricity bills and the citizens are also taking to the streets to protest against these electricity bills to mark their protest against the ongoing dilemma.
Meanwhile in the backdrop of these protest demonstrations, the apprehensions of the WAPDA officials have come into the limelight and they have started demanding police protection to protect themselves from the violent anger of the general public.
The fear of the WAPDA officials came to the fore on the expected public protests over the high electricity bills in Rawalpindi and they have asked the police deployment in Islamabad Electric Supply Corporation (IESCO) Rawalpindi.
Superintendent Engineer Rawalpindi Shahzad Ahmed Jalil wrote a letter to the administration and requested that the police should be deployed at IESCO office Rawalpindi.
In the letter the official of IESCO Rawalpindi stated that the citizens are flocking to WAPDA offices. He said often people in the crowd start protesting.
He said the WAPDA’s officials are insecure about this dangerous behavior of citizens. He said the police should be deployed to protect WAPDA staff and the property. He termed the current situation as dangerous.
This is pertinent to mention here that protest demonstrations against higher electricity rates were announced from the mosques of some areas of Rawalpindi on Thursday.
The citizens were supposed to head toward IESCO offices in Rawalpindi in procession to record their protest against unaffordable electricity rates after Friday’s prayers.
Earlier there were reports that citizens in Rawlakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) had burnt their electricity bills. Likewise, a video of announcement from a mosque in Mirpur, AJK made rounds on the social media in which people were asked not to deposit their electricity bills.
Recently the traders in Karachi also protested against higher electricity rates and they have also burnt their electricity bills.
There are also reports that people have committed suicides after receiving phenomenal higher electricity bills.
There is also report of suicide of an elderly person who got himself killed by jumping from Khanna Pul Islamabad. This person had pinned his electricity bill with the chest while jumping from the bridge.
Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan in his X on Friday stated that people have started committing suicides and self-immolations due to electricity bills.
He talked about phenomenal the electricity bill of a shop in Warsak Road Peshawar. “Thirteen different types of taxes are being collected in it. Electricity was spent at 18,000, by adding 16,000 to the tax bill, the electricity bill has come to 34,000 and now the prices have also been increased by Rs.5 and 40 paise per unit,” he stated in his message on the social media platform.
He further said that recently, Nabi Gul, a resident of Peshawar, who was running a PCO in Ishrat Cinema Chowk, Gulbehar, Peshawar, got an electricity bill of 23,000 last month and sold his motorcycle to pay the bill.
This month, he said, Nabi Gul received the electricity bill amounting Rs29,000 and he sprinkled petrol over him and committed suicide by setting himself on fire.
“Rulers, fear the time when the people will flock to sprinkle oil on your palaces and palaces instead of sprinkling oil on themselves. Rulers, please stop this economic terrorism. Stop the economic killing of people. Stop increasing the prices of electricity, gas, petroleum products, necessities of life and medicines,” he demanded from the rulers.
Ends
عوام نے بجلی کے بلوں کی خاطر خودکشیاں اور خود سوزیاں شروع کر دیں۔
یہ ورسک روڈ پشاور کی ایک دکان کا بجلی بل ہے۔ اس میں 13 مختلف قسم کےٹیکسز لیے جا رہے ہیں۔ بجلی 18 ہزار کی خرچ ہوئی، 16 ہزار کے ٹیکس بل میں شامل کرکے بجلی کا بل34 ہزار آیا ہے اور اب قیمتوں میں حالیہ5 روپے 40 پیسے فی… pic.twitter.com/Zeg79E6SRk— Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan | سینیٹر مشتاق احمد خان (@SenatorMushtaq) August 25, 2023
