PESHAWAR: Amid boycott of courts by lawyers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Peshawar High Court Bar Association on Monday warned if the federal government didn’t withdraw the recent hikes in electricity bills and petroleum prices immediately, then a “lawyers’ movement” would be launched against the government.

It, however, didn’t set any deadline for street protests.

During a general body’s meeting chaired by its president Tariq Afridi here, the PHCBA unanimously passed a resolution, that called for the immediate withdrawal of recent hikes in electricity bills and petroleum prices.

It also asked the government to stop providing free petrol and electricity to its officials.

The association demanded that general elections be held in a free and fair manner within the time specified by the Constitution.

Mr Tariq Afridi said the federal government should withdraw the taxes imposed on electricity bills and on gas and petroleum products without delay to the relief of the people.

He also said government officials should no longer be entitled to free petrol and electricity, while each of them shouldn’t use more than one government vehicle.

The PHCBA president said that if those demands were not met, then a “lawyers’ movement” would be launched with all political parties being invited to join it.

He said when petroleum prices went up, everything got expensive.

“Government officers and Wapda employees avail themselves of free electricity, whose burden is borne by the poor people, who struggle to make ends meet,” he said.

Mr Afridi said the “culture of free electricity” should be done away with immediately in the “larger public interest.”

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2023