PESH AWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held demonstrations in different parts of the province on Friday against `unbearable` rise in electricity bills and `controversial` agreements with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

The rallies were arranged on the call of JI central chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman.

In the provincial capital, the JI activists demonstrated outside the headquarters of Peshawar Electric Supply Company led by district president Bahrullah Khan Advocate.

The protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with anti-government slogans and seeking revision of agreements with IPPs and reducing the elec-tricity prices.

The JI activists also chanted slogans against the government.

Addressing the gathering, Bahrullah Khan camedown hard on the successive governments since 1994 for making `shameful` agreements with IPPs, which forced the poor consumers to purchase expensive electricity.

He accused the governments, including those led by Asif AliZardari, Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan, of continuing the exploitative contracts to benefit the IPP owners at the cost of people`s misery, who were subjected to overpayment amounting to Rs2.1 trillion.

Bahrullah also criticised the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for `record corruption`. He alleged Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and his brother had become synonymous with corruption in transfer and posting cases.

In Dera Ismail Khan, Jamaat workers staged a protest in front of the press club against soaring electricity prices.

A large number of JI workers and local leaders participated in the demonstration, holding placards and banners denouncing expensive electricity and the alleged exploitation by IPPs.

The protest was led by J1 district emir Manzar Masood Khattak, deputy emir for southern districts Maulana Salimullah Arshad and others.

The speakers said while the government claimed to have renegotiated contracts with 28 IPPs, saving the treasury Rs1.40 trillion, consumers had yet to see any relief in electricity costs.

They alleged IPPs received Rs2.5 to Rs3 trillion annually in capacity charges without actually generating electricity.

In Lakki Marwat, Jamaat workers demonstrated in Serai Naurang town on Friday against rising tariffs and excessive electric outages.

Led by JI south secretary general Mohammad Zahoor Khattak, Lakki emir Mufti Irfanullah andothers, a procession appeared from the Qilla Ground and converged at Khatm-i-Nabuwwat Chowk.

The speakers said high electricity prices and taxation had broken the back of people. Dawn Report