The electricity crisis through out the country is indeed democracy's best revenge against the masses. It is an open secret that this crisis is not because of generation capacity being unable to meet for our requirement. Then the question is: Why have the people not been relieved from this crisis by the two previous two regimes of Musharaf-Aziz and Kayani-Zardari? The rulers' point fingers towards circular debt, expensive furnace oil, electricity theft, non-payments of bills and the extreme inefficiencies of distribution companies.

However, are these problems so insurmountable that the previous two governments could not address them? In fact, the real cause is that in democracy these electricity generating plants, units and their distribution companies are privately owned businesses, rather then public properties.  So even though the installed capacity is 21,000 MW and the peak demand is 17,500 MW, the electricity production remains at less than 9000 MW. The withholding of payments to these companies by the government is allowed by democracy, adding to the woes of the companies, who are struggling to produce whilst maintaining profits and avoiding further debt, and so are forced to under-produce. Moreover, whilst electricity remains private property, even if there is an increased supply to quell the people's anger, it just means more debt for the country and even more expensive electricity.

This policy is employed because it keeps the people drowning in misery, so they do not raise voice against the American Raj. Thus, the rulers have created this crisis intentionally and now the strongest Muslim country seems to be weaker then any weakest of African nations. And this scenario helps the rulers to make excuses for their surrender before America.  The rulers in waiting since the 11^th May general elections have started to say even before they have been sworn into office that they can not give any specific date for the ending of this crisis. Along with this, they are also creating a false perception that a country which acquired nuclear and missile technology without the assistance of any foreign power, cannot resolve this crisis with out the help of America, China or India. Moreover, on the one hand these rulers cry over scarcity of resources when it comes to ending this crisis, but on the other hand they spare nothing to fight America's war, draining seventy billion dollars from the economy and spending billions of rupees of taxpayers' money to maintain and secure the NATO supply line.

Democracy and dictatorship only fulfill American colonialist interests. Only the Khilafah "Caliphate" will provide relief to the masses from this crisis by implementing rulings of Islam regarding energy. According to the saying of RasulAllah (saw): «المسلمون شركاء في ثلاث: في الماء والكلأ والنار» "Muslims are partners (associates) in three things: in water, pastures and fire"(Dawood), the Khilafah "Caliphate" will declare all electricity generating plants, units, organizations and their distributing companies as public property and abolish taxes imposed on petrol, diesel, furnace oil etc. These measures will not only liberate people from under-producing electricity producing units, it will also reduce the cost of electricity as well. Other then this Khilafah "Caliphate" will opt for the policy of self reliance and promote the generation of electricity through those resources, like water, coal, natural gas, which are available within the state. This policy of self reliance further reduces the cost of electricity.

Hizb ut Tahrir warns the people that both democracy and dictatorship implement the capitalist system and care only for colonialist interests. Only the Khilafah "Caliphate" can liberate the Ummah from the tyranny of the capitalist system and the clutches of the colonialist powers, through the implementation of Islam. Therefore the people must join Hizb ut Tahrir in its struggle for the establishment of Khilafah "Caliphate".

Shahzad Shaikh

Deputy to the Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir in Pakistan