Ex-FBR chairman urges govt to reconsider power tariff hike

KARACHI: The former chairman of the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) on Friday urged the government to reconsider its decision to raise electricity prices based on IMF instructions, ARY News reported.

Shabbar Zaidi criticized the government for not taking austerity measures and instead imposing an ‘unfair’ tax on citizens.

Speaking in the ARY News program, Sawal Yeh Hai, the ex-FBR chairman – Shabbar Zaidi – highlighted that the federal government solely committed to collecting Rs 13,000 billion to pay back IMF loan while the ordinary citizens are struggling to make ends meet.

He asserted that the government cannot take austerity measures as they have to deposit Rs 9,700 billion in interest and it no longer has the ability to talk about debt.

“The government deposits all the collected revenue in interest, as Pakistan has to pay Rs 9,700 billion in interest on the loan next year,” stated Zaidi.

Responding to a question, Shabbar Zaidi criticized the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s performance stating that the 2.5 million children are deprived of basic education in Pakistan.

Zaidi highlighted that the government should have established schools for these children before addressing their nutritional needs.

He further added that the condition of poor citizens has worsened due to the increase in the prices of essential commodities.

He noted that individuals earning a salary of Rs 50,000 are now forced to sell their household goods just to afford electricity.

The former minister urged the government to reconsider its decision to raise electricity prices based on IMF instructions, questioning whether they will subsidize electricity or continue to let the poor suffer.