Traders have announced protests against the ongoing electricity loadshedding in the country.
All Pakistan Traders Association President Ajmal Baloch said on Monday that traders of the federal capital Islamabad would stage a protest demonstration against the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) at Aabpara Chowk at 3pm on Tuesday.
He said the Aabpara Market had been without electricity since 7am in the morning on Monday and IESCO had refused to restore the power supply. He said that electricity supply companies were responsible for uninterrupted supply power to people.
The Pakistani government has failed to supply uninterrupted electricity to domestic and commercial consumers despite increasing the power tariff to an unbearable level. The government raised power prices 26% during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, before tacking on another 20% increase on July 13. Officials say the increases were needed to meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for a $7 billion loan deal made earlier this month.
Also on Monday, protests over skyrocketing power bills shut down a major road into Pakistan’s capital as some 3,000 supporters of Jamaat-e-Inslami (JI) continued a sit-in despite pouring monsoon rains.
Protesters demanding that the government withdraw taxes on electricity to offset price hikes have occupied a road in Rawalpindi since Friday, as police prevented them from heading to Islamabad.
