Skyrocketing power bills draw protests near Pakistan's capital

Protests over skyrocketing power bills shut down a major road into Pakistan’s capital on Monday as some 3,000 supporters of a major Islamist party continued a sit-in despite pouring monsoon rains

Protests over skyrocketing power bills shut down a major road into Pakistan's capital on Monday as some 3,000 supporters of a major Islamist party continued a sit-in despite pouring monsoon rains.

The protesters, who are demanding that the government withdraw taxes on electricity to offset price hikes, have occupied a road in the garrison city of Rawalpindi since Friday, as police prevent them from heading to the capital Islamabad. Amid widespread anger over rising prices, such protests could spread.

Hoisting the white, blue, and green flags of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, the protesters chant: “This cruel increase in electricity bills is not acceptable."

The government has met with protest leaders, but given no indication that it is considering accepting their demands.

Naeem-ur-Rehman, who heads the Jamaat-e-Islami party that called for the protests, says it's prepared to remain on the streets for as long as it takes.

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.

The government has also added a confusing bevy of taxes on top of the base price, adding up to bill that more than doubled for some Pakistanis.

“This month I paid 22,000 rupees ($80) for my electricity bill, while in May I only paid 10,000 rupees ($36),” said Asma Humayon, who teaches at a private school in the city of Lahore. “I don’t know how to run the kitchen; now half of my salary is going to energy bill."

Hundreds of supporters of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, mainly women, also rallied against rising bills in Lahore.

A woman Sahiba Bibi, on the outskirts of Islamabad, said she would have to sell one of her two goats to pay a bill of 18,000 rupees ($65). “But what will happen when my other goat is gone?”

Umar Draz, a fruit seller in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said, “I have been getting loans since last year to pay my utility bills, but now people won't give me loans, and I know eventually one day my power will get cut off,”

Pakistani economist Ashfaque Hasan said another factor in costly power is a deal the government made in the 1990s to buy power from private companies at high prices.

“Pakistan and these independent power producing companies cannot co-exist,” Hasan said.

Khaleeq Kiani, who has written extensively about Pakistan’s economy, said the best way to get relief is to install solar power.

“People will cry again when the get their electricity bills in August,” he said.

Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have started using solar panels in recent years to avoid heavy electricity bills and power outages, although not everyone can afford the systems.

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Associated Press writers Babar Dogar in Lahore, Abdul Sattar in Quetta and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this story.