Govt to Announce Relief in Electricity Bills Soon: PM Kakar

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar Thursday said that the government will soon announce relief for electricity consumers. Speaking to senior journalists in Islamabad, the premier said that the high cost of electricity is mainly due to agreements with the independent power producers (IPPs), and transmission and distribution (T&T) losses. Without naming the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the prime minister said that the government is negotiating with relevant multilateral financial institutions regarding potential relief to electricity consumers. The prime minister said the government will soon announce relief measures without defying the international commitments. It is pertinent to mention here that protests erupted across the country last week over inflated electricity bills. Following the protests, the premier called an emergency meeting to deliberate on potential relief measures. However, no immediate relief measures were announced at the time. In his remarks today, the premier downplayed the protests and said that the situation is not a law and order issue. He blamed political parties for encouraging the protests.