Sirajul Haq urges the govt to reconsider its agreements with IPPs
ISLAMABAD, Sep 16 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq has urged the government to reconsider its agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and, if necessary, take the matter to the international court of justice in the event of any hindrances.
Addressing the “National Energy Conference” in Islamabad on Saturday, Sirajul Haq also declared the JI’s intention to approach the Supreme Court to challenge these costly agreements.
The JI organized the conference which was attended by power sector experts, economists, and engineers. They highlighted challenges and forwarded recommendations.
Sirajul Haq emphasized the urgent need to complete the IP Gas Pipeline and expressed disappointment over the government’s inability to resist external pressures, particularly from the United States, which have impeded the import of affordable fuel from neighboring countries.
He lamented that the government was seeking approval from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) even to allow struggling consumers to pay their hefty bills in installments, asserting that the nation’s sovereignty had been compromised at the hands of international lending agencies and foreign powers.
He criticized the former government for implementing power generation projects solely for political gain, disregarding their cost implications on the financially vulnerable. He questioned the rationale behind choosing imported coal-based projects when domestic coal resources were available, and why projects reliant on imported oil were constructed far from the sea, incurring unnecessary transportation expenses.
Sirajul Haq urged the government to shift its focus from sending high bills to consumers towards addressing the billions lost due to line losses and power theft. He pointed out that the ruling elite benefited from free electricity, resulting in significant losses to the national treasury, while the burden fell on the impoverished citizens.
Highlighting past administrations’ negligence, he condemned their failure to invest in hydel electricity generation and other cost-effective energy sources, such as wind energy, which could have yielded thousands of megawatts. He called for accountability of the influential figures behind the costly IPP projects, asserting that the nation deserved transparency regarding the purposes and realities surrounding these projects.
Sirajul Haq underlined that people in the country are grappling with inflation, unemployment, and poverty due to flawed policies adopted by previous governments. The caretakers, he said, gave continuation to the former policies instead of providing relief to the masses.
Deputy Chief JI Mian Muhammad Aslam, Emir JI Islamabad Nasrullah Randhawa and others were also present on the occasion,