Fresh JI drive against PL aims to collect 2 million affidavits

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi has announced a fresh public mobilization drive from Saturday to collect two million affidavits demanding abolition of the petroleum levy (PL), which it termed an “extortion tax”, and an end to payments to Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq on Friday, JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar said protest camps would be established at 25 locations across the city from September 26 as part of a large-scale mass contact campaign. “Our demand is to abolish the extortion levy, get rid of the IPP mafia and fix the price of roti at Rs10, ” he said. The JI leader said a three-percentage-point reduction in the policy rate could generate a benefit of about Rs1, 700 billion and help the government provide relief from taxes such as the petroleum levy. Referring to a recent decision by a tribunal constituted by NEPRA, he said a Rs7. 60 reduction had been made in K-Electric’s basic tariff, which would provide the government a benefit of around Rs200 billion. “Our demand is that this benefit accruing to the government should be transferred directly to the people and electricity bills should be reduced, ” he said. “Every citizen, including children, elderly people and women, is distressed by the severe heat. Load shedding should be ended in Karachi. ” He said a large part of Karachi was without water, the K-IV project remained incomplete and the city’s infrastructure was in a dilapidated condition. The Red Line project had become a source of hardship for citizens for the past five and a half years, while the Green Line project had remained incomplete beyond Numaish since 2022. He said the JI’s “Haq Do Karachi Tehreek” was continuing, while people in the city, interior Sindh and across the province were bearing the brunt of what he described as the “noora kushti” between the PPP and MQM. Monem Zafar said K-Electric had first approached the Sindh High Court over an increase in its basic tariff and later moved NEPRA. Under the seven-year multi-year tariff for 2024-2030, the basic tariff had been increased from Rs32. 37 to Rs39. 97, but NEPRA’s decision on the utility’s appeal resulted in a reduction of Rs7. 60. Citing the NEPRA records and the notification of its review decision regarding K-Electric’s distribution multi-year tariff issued on September 23, 2026, the JI leader alleged that the power distributing company was currently operating “mafia-like” in Karachi and carrying out up to 18 hours of load shedding in the name of aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. “It is K-Electric’s responsibility to catch those who steal electricity. If two or three percent of people in an area are not paying their bills, why should the entire population be punished for it? ” thee JI Karachi chief asked. Water lines burst frequently in the city, while the K-IV project was not being completed and its augmentation work was progressing at an extremely slow pace. He said Karachi’s citizens were being deprived of basic facilities, noting that metro bus projects in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi had been completed in 11, 13 and 20 months, respectively, whereas projects in Karachi continued to face delays. The Green Line project, launched in 2016, was completed only up to Numaish in 2022, he said. Development work on MA Jinnah Road had caused severe traffic congestion, dust and potholes for citizens, while the 1. 8-kilometre section had remained incomplete for almost a year. Similarly, he said, the BRT Red Line project had become a source of hardship for citizens due to its five-and-a-half-year delay. The slow pace of development projects had added to the difficulties of Karachi’s residents. On IPPs, Monem Zafar said some power producers were receiving billions of rupees in capacity payments despite not generating even a single unit of electricity. He said the JI had created public awareness about what it described as anti-people IPP agreements and claimed that, following its campaign, the government had terminated agreements with five IPPs and revised agreements with 22 others, benefiting the national exchequer by Rs4, 300 billion. He said the petroleum levy had made life increasingly difficult for people. In the last fiscal year, Rs1, 567 billion was collected from the public under the levy, he said, adding that the tax was also being paid by people whose income was below the taxable threshold. He added that every motorcyclist in the country was paying around Rs131 per litre daily in petroleum levy and other taxes to the government on about one litre of petrol. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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