Two tragic incidents of suicide have occurred, one in Jahanian and the other in Dijkot, both related to the significant increase in electricity prices. These incidents highlight the severe impact of rising inflation in Pakistan, particularly in terms of the financial burden it places on individuals and families, leading some to take their own lives as a result.
In Jahanian, despite having paid the electricity bill, when electricity was not restored, a mother of four children, facing dire domestic conditions, tragically ended her life by consuming poisonous pills. Her husband, Qasim, stated that after paying the electricity bill, there were no funds left for groceries, and their children had been starving for two days. Qasim, a resident of Chak 114/D South Area, who is the father of four children, disclosed that he earns a meager income of 4,000 rupees through daily wage labor. He further explained that they had received an electricity bill of 10,000 rupees, so they had to sell household items and borrow money to clear the bill. However, despite paying the bill, the employees of the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) did not restore the electricity supply. The husband stated that when he came home, his wife, Humna, was in distress due to the electricity outage and their hungry children. He mentioned that after he went to work, she consumed poisonous pills. She was transported to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for treatment, but she couldn’t survive.
Furthermore, in the city of Dijkot, located in the Faisalabad district of Punjab, a young person committed suicide due to a hefty electricity bill. According to police officials, in the Sabri Town area of Dijkot, a 28-year-old youth named Hamza, unable to bear the burden of the high electricity bill, took his own life. Following the incident, police personnel arrived at the scene and gathered evidence, after which the body was transferred to the hospital for further legal proceedings. According to the police spokesperson, investigations into this tragic incident have commenced after recording statements from the family.
