Islamabad
\nProtests were held in Multan, Lahore and Karachi against the exorbitant power bills.
\nResidents and traders in Multan\u2019s Alfalah Market took to the streets to protest against the electricity bills as they held banners and set tyres on fire, hence blocking roads.
\nSpeaking to DawnNewsTV, one of the protestors lamented that he was the sole breadwinner of the family and his bill was Rs24,000 even though he only used \u201cone refrigerator and fans\u201d. He added that last month too his electricity bill was Rs23,000.
\nAnother man said, \u201cFlour is Rs150\/kg, petrol is Rs300\/litre \u2014 tell me where should I go, what should I do?\u201d
\n\u201cShould I give poison to my children?\u201d he asked while visibly enraged. \u201cWhy is Wapda (Water and Power Development Authority) given free electricity?\u201d
\nStating that his electricity bill was Rs15,000 while house rent was Rs13,000, he asked, \u201cShould I commit robbery? To us peaceful and pious citizens\u2026 I ask you to correct yourselves otherwise the public will not let you go.\u201d
\nHe then called for reducing the bills by 75pc, asserting that was everyone\u2019s demand.
\nDuring a press conference held by the Markazi Tanzeem-e-Tajran Pakistan, it announced initiating a \u201cprotest movement\u201d against the excessively high bills.
\nThe union\u2019s chairman, Khawaja Salman Siddiqui said, \u201cIf the demands (to lower power prices) are not accepted, we will proceed towards a civil disobedience movement.\u201d
\nMeanwhile, residents, including women and children, in Lahore\u2019s Shahdara also held protests they burned this month\u2019s bills and vowed to not pay them.
\nVideo footage from Lahore showed a pile of bills set on fire as dozens of people of all ages gathered on the streets and chanted, \u201cBijli mehngi, namanzoor [Expensive electricity is unacceptable].\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad Protests were held in Multan, Lahore and Karachi against the exorbitant power bills. Residents and traders in Multan\u2019s Alfalah Market took to the streets to protest against the electricity bills as they held banners and set tyres on fire, hence blocking roads. Speaking to DawnNewsTV, one of the protestors lamented that he was the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-352034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n