PM Shehbaz Sharif announces FAC exemption on 300 units

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday extended the exemption for fuel adjustment charges (FAC) in August’s billing to consumers using 300 units of electricity, ARY News reported.

Addressing a meeting of party lawmakers in Islamabad, the prime minister said that the coalition government in first phase announced an exemption to power users consuming 200 units which has now extended to 300 units.

The premier recalled that when his government came to power, it faced a myriad of problems due to the PTI government’s “wrong” policies.

“Coalition government in four months faced challenges like economic instability as the predecessors made every effort to push the country onto the brink of default.”

“Pakistan has to learn from its mistakes with a determination to overcome every challenge with resilience,” he said.

“Pakistan is not destined to become Sri Lanka. The nation with its resilience will make the homeland a land of prosperity and development,” he said.

The prime minister also proposed waiving the electricity bills of the consumers in flood-affected areas and exempting the farmers from ‘abiyana’ (water charges on crop irrigation) in calamity-hit places.

The prime minister mentioned that Pakistan was facing extreme challenges while meeting the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), even while taking steps to give subsidy on electricity.

Shehbaz Sharif said the government was making untiring efforts to mitigate the sufferings of the people affected by floods. He said over 1,000 people including 300 children lost their lives as floods swept away a large area across the country.

He said the federal and provincial governments along with National Disaster Management Authority and the Pakistan army were carrying out relief and rescue activities to their best.

Sharif mentioned that the government was disbursing Rs 25,000 to every household affected by the flood under Benazir Income Support Programme.

He said the federal government provided a grant of Rs 15 billion to Sindh and Rs 10 billion to Balochistan as flood relief assistance. Also, one million are being given to the relatives of the deceased. The premier directed the PML-N MNAs and MPAs to reach out to the affected people by themselves.

He expressed confidence that the nation would overcome the challenges with resilience and unity.