People are helpless due to high cost of electricity, industries, factories are closing down: Ameerul Azim

LAHORE, July 9 (SABAH): Secretary General Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Ameerul Azim has said that if the government had signed the CTBT and sold the nuclear program, the country might not have been harmed as much as the expensive electricity and IPPs contracts have caused.

Ameerul Azim expressed these views while addressing a press conference in Mansoorah along with Jamaat-e-Islami Central Punjab Emir Javed Kasuri and Central Information Secretary Qaisar Sharif.

Ameerul Azim said due to high cost of electricity, people are helpless, industry, factories are closing down, people are shifting the industry to other countries. On July 12, he said Jamaat-e-Islami is not staging sit-in for personal interests, adding they are fighting for the rights of 25 crore people. He said they warn the government not to try to obstruct the sit-in on any basis, including Muharram. He said this is our democratic right, for which there is no need to take permission from anyone, but we have informed the government.

Due to this, the people are unhappy, the industry, the factories are closing down, Pakistan has become a consumer industry instead of an industry, he said. He said that people are shifting the industry to other countries. He said that $42 billion have been paid as surcharge to the IPPs in the name of capacity charges.

He said that the statements of tariff revision, supply of solar panels are a drama, the real issue is the capacity charges given to IPPs. He said that a nationwide strike may also be announced during the sit-in. A public court will also be set up in front of the IPPs. The government has been informed about the sit-in in Islamabad, no permission is required from them, he said and added peaceful protest, sit-in is the right of every political and democratic party.

Ameerul Azim said that the people are standing with the thinking of Jamaat-e-Islami at this time, inviting all political parties including PTI to walk together. Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Central Punjab Javed Kasuri said that the business community of Punjab has announced its support for the sit-in, adding people from all walks of life will participate in the sit-in.