Policy regarding Electricity Crisis
January 2013, Rabii ul-Awwal 1434 AH

Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah Pakistan has issued the following Publicized Policy Position (PPP) over the severe electricity crisis in the country which has crippled industry and agriculture as well as making the daily lives of the people a misery.

A. PREAMBLE: Electricity is unaffordable and unavailable because of capitalism's privatization concept, as safeguarded by democracy.

Through democracy's implementation of capitalism, the government is responsible for Pakistan's electricity crisis. The present capitalist system ensures that through privatization a few private owners, foreign and local, fully benefit from electricity resources whilst the public faces hardship. Privatization raises electricity prices so that the private owners can profit in their business. As an example the World Bank has closely overseen rises in electricity charges, which surged between 2000 & 2004 and continue to rise such that people are paying as much for electricity in the winter as they used to in the peak of summer before massive privatization took hold. So, whilst private owners amass huge wealth by owning electricity resources, the rest of society is stricken by increasingly un-affordable energy prices. In addition, regarding the electricity shortages, the government itself fell into debt to these private interests to the order of billions of Rupees. Then the private interests reduced production of electricity because they were not paid what they were due and were not able to maintain profits. This "circular debt crisis" is the reason that only 10,000 MW or less electricity is being produced. This is even though the total installed capacity is 19,855 MW, dropping to 15,150MW at times of low river flow. This is against a demand that varies between 11,500 MW in the cooler months up to 17,500 MW, during the peak of the hot summer. So it is clear twelve to eighteen hours without electricity per day in the summer and six hours in the winter, is the result of not producing at capacity. All this is the result of making electricity a business and not a right for the people.

B. POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Capitalism's control of electricity only benefits the colonialists and the current rulers and deprives the Ummah.

B1. Of Pakistan's electricity, Pakistan produces 65% from thermal generation, by the burning of oil and gas, 33% from hydro-electrical generation (Hydel), using water pressure such as in dams, and 2% by nuclear power. Installed capacity is more than enough to meet the current demands throughout the year.

B2. Regarding thermal generation, the Ummah possesses over half of the world's proven oil reserves and over forty per cent of the world's proven gas reserves. Pakistan has one of the world's largest coal reserves in Thar.

B3. Regarding developing other forms of electricity generation to meet future short falls, such as solar, tidal and wind generation, the Islamic Ummah possess brilliant sons and daughters who are more than capable to deliver results.

B4. However, by privatizing these abundant resources foreign colonialist companies benefit as well as local companies which are from the entourage of the rulers or the rulers themselves.

B5. The current rulers and their colonialist masters benefit from the people being immersed in seas of economic miseries as it dampens their ability to rise up and depose the current corrupt order. This is the meaning of what Donald Rumsfeld, former US Defence Secretary, termed "creative chaos."

C. LEGAL INJUCTIONS: Securing the benefit of energy and fuel for the people.

Islam will end the capitalist economy and establish an Islamic one. As a system Islam ensures the distribution of wealth and one of its mechanisms is the public ownership of electricity resources as well as coal, oil and gas. As such these resources are neither owned by the state nor individuals. Instead, the state administers this resource to ensure that its benefit is used for all the citizens, regardless of race, color, school of thought and religion. The Khilafah "Caliphate" will abolish taxes upon power and fuel which have further greatly inflated their prices. It will charge only to cover their production and distribution costs, if needed, and any profit from sales to non-hostile non-Muslim states will be put to use for taking care of the public's needs. Islam's electricity policy will contribute to a massive industrialization of Pakistan, supervised by the Khilafah "Caliphate".

In its "Introduction to the Constitution," Hizb ut Tahrir has adopted in Article 137, There are three categories of Public Ownership: a. Public utilities, such as the open spaces in the towns. b. Vast mineral resources, like oil fields. c. Things which, by their nature, preclude ownership by individuals, such as rivers." In Article 138, it has adopted, "Factories by their nature are private property. However, they follow the rule of the product that they are producing. If the product is private property then the factory is considered to be private property, such as textile factories. If the product is public property then the factory is considered public property, such as factories for iron ore production." In Article 139, it has adopted, "Every individual from the Ummah has the right to utilise anything from public property, and it is not allowed for the State to permit someone to individually possess or utilise it."And in Article 140, it has adopted, "Every individual from the Ummah has the right to utilise anything from public property, and it is not allowed for the State to permit someone to individually possess or utilise it."

Note: Please refer to the following articles in Hizb ut Tahrir's "Introduction to the Constitution" for the complete evidences from Quran and Sunnah: 137, 138, 139 and 140

D. POLICY: Fuelling the rise of the world's leading state, the Khilafah "Caliphate".

D1. The return of gas, oil, coal and electricity to public ownership will result in affordable and available electricity.

D2. The abundance of power is essential to the development of a strong industrial base, a necessity for any state aspiring to lead the world

D3. Islam's unique concepts over power and energy will be a shining example to a world exploited and deprived by capitalism.

to read the Press Release Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah Pakistan Issue Policy Guidelines regarding Electricity Crisis Establishing Available and Affordable Electricity