Opposition against the price hike in electricity bill imposed by Imran Khan

Peshawar, Pakistan: Imran Khan government has introduced Fuel price Adjustment (FPA) in electricity bill whereas opposition is rejecting the bill.

Pakistan Opposition parties urge the imposition of exorbitant fuel price adjustment (FPA) in electricity bills and urged the federal government to refund the additional amount charged under this head to consumers in the next month’s bill.

Meanwhile, Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Aimal Wali Khan said in a statement here on Thursday that a court had already declared the excessive FPA as illegal, adding that extorting billions of rupees from the poor people under this head was intolerable.

Aimal Wali said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was unable to raise its voice for provincial share in the national resources, particularly for the pending Rs 650 billion net hydel profit (NHP), to initiate some development schemes in the province.

“It was duty of the federal ministers and other lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to play their role for release of the pending NHP without any delay,” he said.

The ANP provincial chief said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was producing hydel power at the minimum price of Rs1.50 per unit, but the people here had to purchase it at Rs18-20 per unit, which was a sheer injustice, according to the Dawn.

Earlier, In Swabi, two separate protest demonstrations were held on Thursday against fuel price adjustment in the electricity bills while terming it a great injustice with the people.

The Da Haq Awaz, Swabi, organised a protest march which was participated by local leaders and workers of various political parties in Peshawar.

Protesters chanted slogans against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government for charging a big amount of money under the FPA from the power consumers, according to the Dawn.

They claimed that the FPA issue could not be resolved by the government as the expenditures of luxurious lifestyle of the rulers were being transferred to consumers this way.

Addressing the protesters, Ihsanul Haq, head of the Da Haq Awaz, said that their struggle would continue till the removal of FPA from the power bills.

Further, another opposition party Jamaat-i-Islami held a protest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Topi tehsil and its leaders and workers marched through the main bazaar while chanting slogans against the ruling party, according to the Dawn.

The protesters waving the electricity bills said they were not in a position to pay the heavy inflated bills.