Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi has taken legal action against K-Electric (KE) over the ongoing power outages in the city during the heatwave. The party’s president, Munim Zafar, and deputy parliamentary leader in the City Council, Advocate Saifuddin, filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday, seeking an end to the loadshedding.The petition names the power ministry, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), and K-Electric as respondents. The petitioners argue that KE, responsible for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution in Karachi, has been imposing loadshedding for an average duration of 10 to 16 hours daily in various localities, citing power theft-related losses as the reason.

The petition highlights the severe impact of the loadshedding on the citizens, particularly during the ongoing heatwave. It states that hundreds of people have been hospitalized due to heat-related illnesses, with 150 heatstroke patients admitted to the Civil Hospital Karachi in the last two days.

According to the petitioners, out of the 2,109 feeders in Karachi, 1,500 face no loadshedding, while the others are subjected to outages based on their loss rates. This means that 71% of the feeders have no loadshedding. However, high-loss areas in Karachi face up to 7.5 hours of loadshedding when energy demand peaks, while low-loss areas face no outages.

The petition argues that KE has been persistently imposing loadshedding on the people of Karachi while collecting the highest taxes and energy charges in South Asia. It also references a resolution passed by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Council condemning KE’s failure to provide uninterrupted electricity supply, especially during heatwaves.

The petitioners have prayed before the court to immediately halt KE’s practice of loadshedding and adhere to the Nepra Performance Standards Rules and Nepra Fine Regulations. They have also sought a directive for KE to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to eliminate load shedding, including measures to curb power theft and improve infrastructure as soon as possible.

After filing the petition, Karachi JI chief Munim Zafar told reporters that the party would use all available options to ensure the rights of Karachiites. He announced over 100 protests in Karachi outside KE offices and other important points on Friday, emphasizing that the party would not leave Karachiites at the mercy of KE or corrupt rulers.