MANSEHRA: Traders, lawyers, political and civil society activists and local body members poured onto the streets for yet another day on Monday in different cities against the inflated electricity bills, and demanded the removal of excessive taxes incorporated in the power tariff.

“The highest ever inflation in the country has already eroded the purchasing power of people, and now they are left with no option but to come onto the streets after receiving the bloated power bills,” Mohammad Rafique, president of the Mansehra district bar association, told the protesters, who assembled on the Abbottabad Road.

The traders had closed down their business centres, shops and markets in Mansehra and rest of the towns in the district to participate in the protest.

The demonstrators raised slogans against the caretaker and the last Pakistan Democratic Movement-led governments for causing the highest-ever inflation in the country.

Demand removal of excessive taxes incorporated in power tariff

“We have submitted a petition in the Peshawar High Court, urging it to halt authorities from collecting power bills before removing all sorts of taxes incorporated in the electricity tariff,” Mr Rafique said.

On the occasion, traders’ body president Mohammad Haroon said they would launch an agitation government against the bloated power bills.

Basharat Ali Swati, chairman of Safada village council, said different taxes were added to the power tariff to appease the International Monitory Fund.

In Battagram, on the call of traders’ union, he people blocked the Karakoram Highway against inflated electricity bills on Monday.

The protesters also burnt electricity bills and set old tyres alight.

On the occasion, traders’ union president Abdul Ghaffar Deshani said consumers were not ready to accept further taxes in the power bills as they were already paying more than their strength. He claimed the government was trying to hide its incompetency by burdening power consumers with more and more taxes.

In Swabi, the consumers on Monday protested outside the Pesco sub-division office in Zaida area and also burned electricity bills.

Mohammad Saleem Khan Advocate, former provincial general secretary of former Awami National Party, led the protest.

On the occasion, Saleem Khan said the increase in electricity prices and ‘illegal’ taxes were unacceptable to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the province produced cheap hydel electricity.

Meanwhile, protest demonstrations were also held in other areas of the district against the inflated electricity bills.

In Charsadda, Awami National Party organised a demonstration against the unbearable increase in electricity bills.

The protesters gathered at the Farooq Azam Chowk in Charsadda city and shouted slogans against the authorities concerned.

Addressing the protesters, ANP Charsadda tehsil president Taimur Khattak, traders’ association president Lal Mohammad Lal and others rejected the increase in electricity bills and termed it a big burden on the poor people.

They demanded the government should immediately withdraw the increase in electricity bills, or they would stop paying them.

In Mardan, the Awami Jirga on Monday held a demonstration at Bacha Khan Square against the bloated electricity bills.

Mardan city mayor Himayatullah Mayar, local leaders of different political parties, the Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Markaz-i-Tanzeem-i-Tajran office-bearers and large number of people belonging to different walks of life attended the protest.

They deplored that consumers were forced to sell their ornaments, household items, domestic animals, motorcycles and mobile phones to pay the electricity bills. They said the elite class was making mockery of the poor while sitting in the air-conditioned rooms. They warned this type of attitude could not be tolerated any more.

In Abbottabad, the traders held a demonstration and burnt their electricity bills at the main square of Abbottabad city.

Protest demonstrations were also organised in other parts of the city.

All Traders Federation president Saqib Khan led a huge rally from the Cantonment Plaza, which culminated at the Cantonment Chowk, after passing through the main market.

In Peshawar, the consumers continued protesting against the inflated electricity bills on Monay.

The people in Tajabad and Peshawar city took to the streets and chanted slogans against the government.

Members of the business community and area residents demanded of the government to correct the electricity bills, or they would not pay them.

Awami National Party’s provincial spokesperson Samar Haroon Bilour and other office-bearers led another rally in the provincial capital.

The demonstrators voiced their outrage over the exorbitant rise in power tariff and inclusion of excessive taxes in the electricity bills. They vowed to withhold the payment of bills until the government retracted the recent increase.

The protesters also set power bills on fire to express their anger against the unprecedented increase in the utility bills. They said poor people living in rented houses with meager earnings were unable to feed their children, and the government had further put their lives in misery by sending them exorbitant utility bills.

They said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa generated cheap hydel electricity, but its residents were sold power at high cost.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2023