Assets of those who signed contracts with IPPs should be frozen: Hafiz Naeemur Rehman

KARACHI, Aug 5 (SABAH): Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that representatives of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have been included in every government, the assets of those who have signed agreements with IPPs should be frozen. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said now Jamaat-e-Islami will also hold protests on the highways, adding we will expand the scope of the sit-in. He said Jamaat-e-Islami’s ongoing sit-in in Rawalpindi against high electricity prices, IPPs and inflation and taxes has entered its 11th day, while Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-in outside Governor’s House in Karachi continues for the third day.

In Karachi, Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman while addressing the participants of the sit-in said that the problem of 250 million people of the country should be solved. He said the electricity bills have broken the back of the people, the people should get relief, the problem is not subsidy rather, charge only the cost. He said that the IPPs running since 1994 are inefficient, their performance is not good, their plants are rotten, they should be dismantled.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the government can do a lot if it wants to do things in the right way, adding people gather for their rights in large numbers in Jamaat-e-Islami sit-in, it has given a hope to the nation of Pakistan.

He said everyone sees that what will be the results of this sit-in that’s why Jamaat-e-Islami will never break the hope of the nation. He said the government should take it seriously, adding according to the people of Pakistan, we have no illegal demands, when they came to discuss, they admitted that Jamaat-e-Islami is well prepared.

He said that in any case, they want this problem to be solved, electricity bills should be reduced, capacity charges should be abolished, the Pakistani nation will not bear the burden of additional taxes. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government should reduce its privileges, adding the government says how can we terminate these agreements, we will face fines for this.