Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stated that the relief on electricity provided by the Punjab government is funded by its own resources, with no contribution from the federal government. He urged other provinces to follow suit.
Speaking at a meeting of the federal cabinet, the Prime Minister emphasized that the relief on electricity rates given by the Punjab government comes solely from its own budget, without any involvement from the federal government. He encouraged other provinces to take similar steps.
He also highlighted that inflation has decreased to an 11.5% rate, down from 38% over the past three years. The staff-level agreement with the IMF has been reached, and the government must work diligently to meet the revenue and tax targets set by the IMF. Additionally, losses in the power sector must be reduced.
The Prime Minister mentioned that the government announced a three-month relief for 86% of domestic consumers by cutting the PSDP budget by 50 billion rupees. A partnership with the Balochistan government was also formed to provide 28,000 solar panels worth 70 billion rupees, with the federal government contributing 55 billion rupees to reduce electricity theft.
He further noted that a few days ago, the Punjab government used its own resources to provide a 14 rupees per unit relief on electricity for consumers using up to 500 units for two months, allocating 45 billion rupees from its development funds. The federal government had no involvement in this relief, which was a gift from the Punjab government to its people. He urged other provinces to follow suit.
The Prime Minister expressed disappointment over negative remarks regarding this relief, particularly from a KPK minister who claimed that the federal government had given relief to Punjab. He clarified that the relief was entirely funded by the Punjab government, and the KPK government should provide similar relief to its citizens instead of politicizing the issue and distorting the facts.
He concluded by stating that the government will make decisions with the IMF fully on board, unlike the PTI government, whose poor decisions harmed Pakistan’s credibility and led the country to the brink of default.
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