ISLAMABAD: On Monday, while speaking to foreign journalists, Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar once again laid a series of promises that no one knows will get fulfilled. The caretaker PM has taken a new vow of providing out-of-box solutions that would assure relief to electricity consumers.
In his media talk with foreign journalists, he ensured that the government would make informed decisions on the issue of inflated bills that would satisfy electricity consumers & not deviate from commitments with the IMF. Anwaarul Haq added that short-term solutions will be introduced to tackle the issues of circular debt, power theft, and taxes.
He also gave hopes of a $25 billion investment from Saudi Arabia over the next two to five years in various sectors. The caretaker PM also talked about privatising some sectors and announced that this interim government would revive the privatisation process, which has been stalled for a prolonged time.
Country-wide protests occurred due to inflated power bills from Karachi to Khyber that demanded the end of free electricity to the notables and relief.
Earlier, news reports claimed that Pakistan failed to convince IMF for relief in electricity bills. The government has a target of recovering up to Rs6.5 billion and that could be affected if relief is provided. Sources from the finance ministry also said that Pakistan & IMF did not get on one page regarding relief to electricity consumers. The Fund rejected the plan as it could have affected overall recoveries by Rs15 billion (the amount sought by IMF to fill the financial gap).
The promises by caretaker PM and news regarding IMF’s rejection of relief plan do not add up and seem like the overall situation would remain boorish for the common man.
