LAHORE (Dunya News) – Former caretaker federal minister for commerce Gohar Ejaz said on Saturday he would move the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the IPPs.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he said a case would be filed against the owners of 40 IPPs on behalf of the whole nation in the top court.
He requested the nation to pray to get justice against the powerful IPPs' owners.
TYCOON'S PRESSER
It should be mentioned that the former minister addressed a press conference on July 20 to disclose that in the first three months of the ongoing year, the IPPs had been given Rs450 billion.
In his presser, he revealed that the government had been purchasing electricity from a specific power plant at the rate of Rs750 per unit under IPPs contract deal.
“I have raised my voice against 40 families and shared the data to save the country from them. It is surprising the government is paying Rs150 billion to a specific power plant which is generating merely less than 15 per cent of its capacity,” he said.
The former commerce minister revealed the government had been paying Rs370 billion to three IPPs which were generating less than 15 per cent of their capacity.
Gohar emphasised the need for accountability for those who receive billions of rupees monthly for idle power plants. He advocated for purchasing electricity solely from the cheapest providers, noting that 52pc of these plants are government-owned, and 28pc are privately owned, making 80pc of them Pakistani-owned.
Also, he urged the government to negotiate its agreement with IPPs to alleviate the financial burden on the nation.
Ejaz, who also serves as the Patron-in-Chief of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), highlighted the exorbitant costs inflicted on the nation due to these contracts.
He attributed the inflated costs to corrupt contracts, mismanagement, and incompetence, resulting in electricity being sold at Rs60 per unit.