AJK Residents Protest Against Hike in Electricity Bills

Residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have taken the streets throughout the Poonch district to protest against massive electricity bills.

The protesters demanded a reduction in electricity prices and an improvement of the electricity supply system in the region. The demonstrators ripped their bills to show discontentment toward the authorities and were of the view that the hike in the bills was reprehensible.

In addition, on Wednesday night, Twitter exploded with videos and pictures of police firing tear gas shells toward protesters.

However, the Spokesperson to the AJK Prime Minister, Irfan Ashraf, denied claims of such an operation. He tweeted on Tuesday that Prime Minister AJK, Tanveer Ilyas, was keen to provide relief to the masses and his foremost priority is safeguarding the public’s interest.

It is pertinent to mention that AJK faces regular load shedding despite having a demand of only 400 MW and producing 3,000 MW of electricity.

A similar situation is observed in Pakistan’s economic hub Karachi, where the public is also protesting against the hike in electricity bills due to additional sales tax. The protesters led by representatives of traders threatened to close the city’s entry and exit points if the additional tax was not removed from the electricity bill.

The Karachi protesters are cooperating through WhatsApp groups, informing their fellows regarding every step being taken by the government, sources revealed.

Demonstrators in Karachi also burnt their bills and protested against K-Electric, saying that the bills will not be paid until the levied amount is deducted.

Sources say that this is the beginning of protests against the hike in the price of electricity bills, and soon more people will come out against the bills.