Irrespective of the income level of a person, one is shocked and worried by the increase in the price of petrol and then the increase in the price of electricity, along with taxes and hidden costs in the bills.

After the average price of electricity increased by a hundred times during the PDM coalition government, the caretaker government also increased the per unit price further.

According to a conservative estimate, more than 120 billion rupees of electricity is stolen every year in the country, which the consumers have to bear in the form of extra bills and unannounced load shedding.

One part of the bills is the amount due to the electricity supply companies and the other part is the direct government revenue collected from the consumers.

Fuel adjustment is an additional burden. Now it has come to a point that the patience of the citizens has responded to the heavy electricity bills and they are protesting all over the country.  It is good to see that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has also directed  its party workers to take to street against the hike in electricity bills.

The protests will be held at the city, union council and tehsil levels against expensive electricity. Every citizen of the country is worried because of the exorbitant prices of electricity.

One would agree with the party leaders who were to have said that the People’s Party should become the voice of the people and start a protest against the electricity prices

Meanwhile, large-scale protests by Jamaat-e-Islami workers and business organizations are ongoing in Karachi. Protesters staged dharna and burnt electricity bills on Murree Road in Rawalpindi. Protesters in Gujranwala and Multan are also at peak. In view of the public protest, police have been deployed at IESCO offices.  In Azad Kashmir, people refused to submit the bill. In Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta and other cities, people also came out on the streets. Demonstrators say that it has become difficult to meet the basic needs in the country, after petrol from above, electricity bomb has been dropped on the people.

What is surprising is that the burden has been placed on the people to meet the IMF’s conditions, but the privileges of the elites have not been reduced.  It is a legitimate demand. If the bills are not reduced, public agitation may increase further. Caretaker government should take notice of the situation.

As a matter of fact, the government has not yet fully realized that the electricity bills have become unbearable for the people who are suffering from inflation.

Not only for the people with very low monthly income, but also for the middle class, it has not been possible to cope with the cost this time.  The situation is so alarming that now it is a situation that people have come out of their houses on their own without the call of any political party or group.

Emotional demonstrations are taking place.

The anti-state elements can take benefit of this situation and they can join these protests and can cause damage to the country. This effort is being made by internal and external circles, but the government is yet to do something regarding the severity of this issue. It does not realize the seriousness of the situation and the Government is engaged in routine activities unperturbed by the public outcry!

The ongoing agitations can turn into a mass protests and if the government did not pay heed to the public outcry, then situation will be become grim by the day.

 This time, for the first time, the people are getting organized and it seems that they can no longer bear the oppression.

The government should not provide facilities to the bureaucracy, ministers, members of the national and provincial assemblies and the senate, due to which the public will be disturbed.

As we know that all malls are air-conditioned, government buildings are always cool. Very expensive cars are given to bureaucrats and other Govt people. After that, the nominal payment is left. Income tax is paid mostly by government employees, apart from them, the tax paid in big markets is not in crores, but in thousands.

If this uneven system is revised, the people will be able to take a sigh of relief or there will come a time and I don’t think it will be far when those who stole their sleep will not be able to sleep themselves. One of the main causes of Pakistan’s economic problems is its lack of self-sufficiency in energy needs including electricity. A large part of our import expenditure is spent on oil import. Due to the lack of adequate oil refineries in the country, we are forced to buy large quantities of refined oil at high prices. Most of the country’s electricity generation also comes from cheap water resources. Instead of relying on expensive sources of furnace oil and gas. In order to get rid of this situation on a permanent basis, it is necessary that on the one hand we accelerate efforts to explore the oil and gas reserves within the country and make them usable. And on the other hand, install oil refineries in the country as per the need. In addition to oil and gas, including deposits of gold, copper and other precious metals, which are abundant mineral wealth in this country by the grace of Allah, bring them to the land and make the dream of national development and prosperity a reality.

It is very unfortunate that  electricity per unit has exceeded 52 rupees per unit while in India, a unit of electricity is being provided at an average of 14 to 15 rupees. A unit of electricity in Bangladesh is about 18 rupees less than 19 rupees in Pakistani rupees. The Pakistani rupee has lost its value massively. A unit of electricity in Bangladesh is available at 6.7 taka. which is 12 rupees sixty paise in Pakistani rupees. Similarly, a unit of electricity in India is being given for 3 to 5 Indian rupees, which is 15 to 18 rupees compared to Pakistani rupees. Bangladesh taka is equal to 2 rupees 76 paisa of Pakistan while Indian rupee has become 3 rupees 63 paisa of Pakistan. One US dollar has gone up to 317 rupees fifty paisa in the open market of Pakistan, while one US dollar is less than 110 BDT in Bangladesh. Thus, a historic decline in the value of the Pakistani currency against the US dollar has occurred in South Asia.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 29 2023

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