Govt has come up against a brick wall on IPPs, laments Hafiz Naeem

RAWALPINDI (Dateline News) – Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeem said on Tuesday that the government wasn’t taking any steps instead only making announcements despite our multiple calls.Speaking to media, the JI emir said that they expected the government to resolve the issues of inflated bills, adding that the capacity payments given to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were unacceptable to the people and that the government was not serious in reforming this sector.He demanded forensic audits of all the IPPs, suggesting that chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) should also be a member of the forensic committee.He deplored that people living in rented houses were paying more electricity bills than their house rents.“The JI’s Peshawar sit-in will be historic. We will also announce strike after Aug 14. We want to give you a message that we don’t accept this bill. The tax net shouldn’t be increased unnecessarily. The government has included those people in the committee who are responsible for the problem. We don’t want committees and announcements rather actions. Our committee can fight the case of 250 million people. We won’t retreat as we plan to move towards the Murree Road on Aug 8”, he announced.