Kakar convenes meeting
\nPublic and traders\u2019 associations take to the streets in large-scale protests against soaring electricity bills
\nISLAMABAD
\nThe countrywide protests sparked by the unprecedented hike in power tariff and the resultant monthly bills received by consumers forced the caretaker government on Saturday to review and calm down the situation, promising to provide maximum relief to them.
\nIt was Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar who personally interacted with the people through a post on X \u2013 the social media platform formally known as Twitter \u2013 saying that he had convened an emergency meeting at the PM Office on Sunday.
\nThe Power Division and the distribution companies would brief the meeting followed by a detailed discussion on how to give relief to the consumers in their bills, he added.
\nPakistani traders and citizens in different cities took to the streets on Saturday against skyrocketing increase in electricity tariffs and overbilling by distribution companies.
\nAccording to a statement issued by the Prime Minister office, the Prime Minister also instructed the Ministry of Power and the distribution companies to give a detailed briefing in this regard.
\n\u201cConsultations will be held in the meeting to provide maximum relief to consumers in their electricity bill,\u201d it added.
\nIt is the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which forced the coalition government to hike the power and gas tariffs as well as the fuel prices despite the fact that the ruling parties were not in favour of the move.
\nThus, these IMF conditions may now cause social unrest in Pakistan which is already going through an economic crisis.
\nA large number of workers of Jamaat-e-Islami and traders held a demonstration outside WASA\u2019s office in Rawalpindi against mind-boggling increase in electricity and water rates.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, representatives of business community complained that the WASA had increased water bills from 300 to 1,500 per cent.
\nThey said in these circumstances it was becoming extremely difficult for them to do business. They shouted slogans against the government and the WASA officials.
\nTraders in Peshawar came out on roads to vent their anger at the government over hike in the electricity tariff. The protestors blocked the Circular Road and took out a rally. They shouted anti-government slogans and torched their bills.
\nThey demanded the government to withdraw increase in the electricity rates immediately.
\nWomen at Toba Tek Singh lost their temper as they held a demonstration against inflated electricity bills in Bukhshi Park locality. Holding bills in their hands, the protestors said that at a time when they were finding it hard to meet their both ends meet, how they could pay huge sums to the government.
\nThey said they were not even in a position to bring up their kids, and now to rub salt into their wounds, they had been burdened with power bills. The women appealed to the government to take notice of the situation and rid them of their predicament.
\nA large number of people, including religious scholars, traders and lawyers, held a demonstration at Tala Gang. They demanded the government to provide them relief by reducing the bills.
\nSimilar protests were also reported from Hafizabad, Feroze Watowan and other small cities and towns.
\nEarlier, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) sought police protection while fearing that the situation might develop into a law and order issue and result in damage to its property as unprecedented hike in power tariff triggered protests in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
\nIn a letter dated August 25, the Iesco said the staff members were facing a safety issue and requested the Rawalpindi police chief to deploy personnel at the Iesco offices as people in form of groups and mob to register their protest.
\nThe spontaneous series of protests erupted across Pakistan as people started receiving their monthly bills with a huge hike in rate, including the increase in base price and the monthly fuel charged adjustment which meant the duties and fees being collected by the government saw a historic jump, thus propelling the total payable amount to an unbearable for the inflation-hit consumers.
\nSo these taxation measures include the power distribution company\u2019s charges, excise duty, general sales tax and financing cost surcharge along with the TV fee. Barring the TV fee, the amount added to a bill under each head increases with the hiked tariff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kakar convenes meeting Public and traders\u2019 associations take to the streets in large-scale protests against soaring electricity bills ISLAMABAD The countrywide protests sparked by the unprecedented hike in power tariff and the resultant monthly bills received by consumers forced the caretaker government on Saturday to review and calm down the situation, promising to provide maximum […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-351876","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n