People in different parts of the country on Saturday expressed despair and anger at unprecedentedly high electricity bills with some threatening demonstrations and even a civil disobedience campaign if the extra taxes weren’t deducted.
The severe reaction led caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar to call an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister’s House.
“In the meeting, a briefing will be taken from the ministry of power and distribution companies and consultations will be held regarding giving maximum relief to consumers regarding electricity bills,” the premier said on X .
Last month, the power regulator raised the national average tariff by around Rs5 per unit, pushing the base unit power tariff from Rs24.82 to Rs29.78.
On Aug 22, the government once again sought to raise the power rate by Rs3.55 per unit.
Hours after the interim PM’s announcement today, caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi, along with Federal Secretary of the Power Division Rashid Mahmood Langrial, held a media briefing in Islamabad to explain the current state of electricity tariffs.