KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Monem Zafar on Wednesday demanded an end to prolonged load-shedding and inflated electricity bills, a forensic audit of K-Electric’s (KE) accounts and disclosure of subsidies provided to the power utility over the past 15 years.
Addressing a protest press conference outside KE’s head office in Gizri against prolonged power outages and what he described as the exploitation of Karachi’s residents, Monem Zafar said the country’s economic hub was suffering from unreliable electricity supplies despite its significant contribution to the national economy.
He alleged that the nexus between KE, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and the government had made life increasingly difficult for Karachi’s consumers.
Questioning how industrial units could continue operating amid electricity outages lasting up to eight hours, the JI leader warned that his party would announce a citywide protest if the utility failed to change its policies and address consumers’ grievances.
Zafar further alleged that KE purchased electricity from the national grid at lower rates but sold it to consumers at higher prices.
Referring to the utility’s privatisation in 2005, he said Karachi’s residents had been promised an end to load-shedding, lower electricity bills and improvements in power generation, transmission and distribution. However, he claimed that two decades later, outages and high bills remained major concerns for consumers.
He said KE’s consumer base had expanded from 1.8 million at the time of privatisation to around four million, significantly increasing its revenue. He also claimed that the utility received an annual subsidy of Rs164 billion and had benefited from approximately Rs1,500 billion in subsidies over the past 20 years.
Despite this financial support, he alleged, consumers continued to face expensive electricity and unreliable supplies. He also accused KE of having the highest line losses in the country and called for a comprehensive examination of its financial accounts and government support.
The JI leader criticised the disconnection of electricity across entire neighbourhoods because of non-payment by some consumers. He argued that if 96 per cent of consumers in an area paid their bills while the remaining four per cent defaulted, the majority should not be penalised for others’ failure to pay.
He maintained that Nepra regulations did not permit the disconnection of an entire locality merely because some consumers had outstanding bills.
KE Attributes Load-Shedding to Theft and Losses
Responding to the allegations, a K-Electric spokesperson said the duration of load-shedding in an area depended on the level of electricity theft and distribution losses.
The spokesperson urged consumers to ensure timely payment of their electricity bills.
The JI leader’s demands included an independent forensic audit of KE’s accounts, disclosure of government subsidies and an immediate end to prolonged outages and excessive billing. He warned that the party would consider further protests if the utility failed to address the concerns of Karachi’s residents.
