Non-Issue
ISLAMABAD: Ignoring nationwide protests and Jamaat-e-Islami’s strike today, Caretaker Prime Minister Kakar termed the inflated bills a ‘non-issue’.
He said that political parties are raising hue and cry over the electricity bills.
Jamaat-e-Islami is holding a countrywide strike today against an unprecedented increase in the power bills of the consumers.
JI Amir said that his party and consumers will hold peaceful demonstrations across the country to voice their concerns against inflated bills.
Meanwhile, PM Kakar said, “It is not a very serious issue and political parties are in election mode and using it as a social cause.”
“I realize their position. If I were to contest the election, I would have followed the same as well,” he added.
Notably, the caretaker government gave another 48-hour deadline two days ago to give relief to power consumers. However, the caretaker PM’s remarks show the seriousness of the interim government in dealing with this disheartening issue.
HRW urges IMF to soften its stance over electricity charges in Pakistan: PM says inflated bills are a non-issue
Meanwhile,
ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the IMF to consider Pakistanis’ right to electricity and fund universal social protection to phase out subsidies.
In its statement, HRW stated, “The price hike has come during one of the worst economic crises in Pakistan’s history. It has endangered the rights to health, food, and an adequate standard of living for millions of people.”
Furious Pakistanis have been staging protests across the country for the last eight days. They have set electricity bills on fire while demanding that the government roll back the tariff increase and eliminate additional taxes.
Power consumers are protesting against inflated bills as PM Kakar calls it a non-issue.
On Wednesday, the IMF requested that Pakistan submit a written plan outlining the steps it would take to provide immediate relief to its citizens.
A day earlier, Pakistani authorities shared their plan with the Washington-based lender, assuring that none of the targets agreed upon by the previous government would be compromised.
Caretaker Minister for Finance stated that a team of Pakistani authorities had met with IMF officials. Although she was not part of the team in talks with the lender, she reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to adhere to the Fund’s program.
The HRW highlighted the concessions sought from the IMF by the interim administration in Islamabad. The Fund’s $3 billion deal “mandates the government to remove energy and fuel subsidies. It also encourages a transition to a market-based exchange rate, as well as increase taxes.”
The statement further emphasized that “to ensure the removal of fossil fuel subsidies promotes rather than erodes rights, the IMF and the Pakistani government should conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact of these adjustments.”
