Islamabad
Pakistan Nazriati Party (PNP) has filed a writ petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC), against hike in electricity tariffs.
Chairman Pakistan Nazriati Party (PNP), Shaheer Haider Malik filed this petition through his lawyer Qazi Khalil ur Rehman Adv High Court in IHC, against Federation Of Pakistan, Chairman BOD-IESCO, Chairman NEPRA, Chairman WAPDA, Minister of Energy (Power Division).
On this occasion, Syed Haider Shah, Chief Coordinator PNP, President Law Wing, Muhammad Tanveer Younis Mughal, Faizan Aslam General Secretary, and other lawyers were accompanied him.
Petitioner urged the court for intervention to address the alarming and unjustified price hike in electricity tariffs imposed on citizens.
The arbitrary increase in electricity prices has inflicted a severe financial burden upon the citizens of Pakistan, gravely undermining their constitutional right to a dignified life.
The petitioner contended that the recent and successive increases in electricity prices have resulted in an undue escalation in the cost of living for the general public.
This has had a particularly detrimental impact on vulnerable segments of society, including low-income families, senior citizens, and those already struggling to make ends meet.
The petitioner further submitted that the lack of transparency and accountability in determining the basis for these price hikes raises serious concerns about the procedural fairness of these decisions. The citizens have been left in the dark about the rationale and factors considered while determining the new tariffs.
Petitioner urged for establishing mechanisms to protect whistleblowers who expose cases of corruption, extravagance, or misuse of public funds.
It is also asserted that the increase in electricity prices lacks proportionality and reasonableness, as it far exceeds the rate of inflation and fails to reflect the actual cost of production and distribution of electricity.
The petitioner contended that the arbitrary nature of the price hikes violates the citizens’ fundamental rights, including the right to life, liberty, and property, as enshrined in Articles 9, 14, and 24 of the Constitution.
And urged IHC to issue a writ of certiorari to quash the recent notifications/orders related to the increase in electricity tariffs due to the lack of transparency, proportionality, and reasonableness in the determination of such tariffs. Direct the concerned authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent review of the factors leading to the price hike, ensuring public participation and accountability in the decision-making process.
Direct the concerned authorities to provide an itemized breakdown of the costs justifying the increase in electricity tariffs, in order to assess the veracity of the claimed expenses.
