Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced a nationwide protest on January 31 over the Independent Power Producers (IPP) issue.
During a press conference in Karachi, JI chef Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman stated that protests would take place simultaneously across the country on January 31. He questioned why the public had not received any relief if the IPPs were benefiting from the agreements.
He added that the government claimed that negotiations with 17 PPIs had been completed, but Jamaat-e-Islami has been the voice of the people in addressing their concerns. The party also rejected the increase in legislators’ salaries.
Reaffirming the party’s stance, he noted that parliamentary salaries have increased by 140%, as Jamaat-e-Islami continues to work for the Palestinian cause.
He stressed that Pakistan must take a proactive role in the restoration of Gaza.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman also stressed that the government must act quickly in the current geopolitical situation and put pressure on Arab and other countries to refrain from recognizing Israel.
Previously, on January 14, the federal cabinet gave the green light to the review of agreements with 14 Independent Power Producers (IPP) and approved the merger of the Aviation Division with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Narcotics Control with the Ministry of the Interior, as part of the government’s austerity campaign.
The cabinet met here, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Speaking at the meeting, Chief Minister Shehbaz praised the process of renegotiating power purchase agreements with the IPs, stating that it would bring huge savings to the national exchequer.
The cabinet approved the Energy Division’s recommendation to review the negotiated agreements, with 14 IPPs aimed at reducing electricity costs and saving Rp1.4 trillion for the national exchequer.
After discussion with the 14 PPIs, under the negotiated settlement agreements, the cabinet approved the recommendation to reduce Rs 802 billion in terms of profits and costs of those PPIs. An amount of Rs 35,000 crore in excess profits from previous years would also be deducted from these PPIs.
