Inflated electricity bills: PM Kakar to chair emergency meeting today

Amid mounting public outcry over electricity price hikes, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul-Haq Kakar has convened an emergency meeting in Islamabad on Sunday.

A day earlier, protests were held in cities across the country due to exorbitant electricity bills, prompting PM Kakar to summon an emergency meeting.

“Consultations will be held in the meeting to provide maximum relief to consumers in their electricity bill,” the premier said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

بجلی کے بھاری بِلوں کے معاملے پر میں نے کل وزیر اعظم ہاؤس میں ہنگامی اجلاس طلب کر لیا ہے۔ اجلاس میں وزارت بجلی اور تقسیم کار کمپنیوں سے بریفنگ لی جائے گی اور صارفین کو بجلی کے بِلوں کے حوالے سے زیادہ سے زیادہ ریلیف دینے کے حوالے سے مشاورت کی جائے گی۔

— Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) August 26, 2023

“In the meeting, a briefing will be taken from the Ministry of power and distribution companies,” he added.

Meanwhile, the government has also devised a plan to withdraw subsidised electricity availed by Discos and government officers in grade 17 and above.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi held a meeting with Power Division Secretary Rashid Mahmood Langrial on Saturday and discussed the issue of high electricity bills.

The Secretary of the Power Division informed the media that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) determined electricity tariffs using three distinct methodologies.

The three-month tariff adjustment was meant for new power plants, he said, adding electricity prices were subject to fluctuations based on the Consumer Price Index.

Countrywide protests

The inflated power bills triggered country-wide protests from Karachi to Khyber and protests in some parts of the country are turning violent.

In Karachi, the people protested against exorbitant bills sent by K-Electric, the city’s sole power supplier. People complained that the bills they are being served are more than their salaries.

In Peshawar, a large number of people took to the streets۔ Citizens say they will no longer sit silent against this ‘injustice’۔ Traders from Ganj Bazaar and Lahore Square also set fire to power bills to record their protest۔

Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi, protesters gathered at Committee Chowk and burned bills while demanding that the government abolish imposed taxes on electricity.

In Gujranwala, protesters surrounded the Gujranwala Electric Power Company office in protest against expensive electricity.

Protests were also held in other cities, including Narowal, Attock, Sargodha, and Haripur, against high power bills.