Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman urged the acting president yesterday to convene a special session of parliament to discuss the country’s ongoing power and energy crises.

He made the request in a letter sent to the president, said Jamaat-e-Islami in a press release.

Copies of the letter were also sent to the prime minister and the Parliament Secretariat.

In the letter, Shafiqur Rahman said the country was experiencing a severe power crisis, with persistent load-shedding making people’s lives miserable and severely affecting industrial production, businesses and trade.

He also claimed that the power and energy crisis had contributed to rising prices of essential commodities and a serious deterioration in the law-and-order situation, leaving people facing “extreme uncertainty”.

“As representatives of the people, we cannot remain silent during this crisis,” the opposition leader said.

He said meaningful discussions in parliament and immediate solutions were essential to addressing the situation.  Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is the acting president of the country until the presidential elections are held.