People await relief as PM Kakar orders swift action against power bill defaulters

Anwaarul Haq Kakar says govt exploring realistic options to provide relief to consumers n Tells foreign media all registered political parties will be provided level playing field to contest general elections n MQM leaders, finance minister, Admiral (r) Asif Sandila call on PM Kakar.

ISLAMABAD  –  Caretaker Prime Minister An­waarul Haq Kakar Monday or­dered immediate action against those involved in power theft in the country and asked relevant authorities to submit reports in this regard on the daily basis. 

Chairing a meeting, the prime minister also directed to take swift action against electricity defaulters, saying there should not be any leniency towards elec­tricity thieves and the defaulters.

During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed in detail about all sections of the ener­gy sector. The meeting was in­formed about the total installed capacity, actual generation and overall energy supply during var­ious seasons. The prime minister was also informed about the en­ergy mix in power production. 

PM Kakar stressed that in fu­ture, renewable and hydel sourc­es of energy should be given top priority to produce inexpensive and green energy in the country. He also directed to take effec­tive measures to reduce the line losses of the power distribution companies. “A comprehensive plan should also be prepared and presented to implement the transformer metering project.”

He said projects of small hydel power projects should be planned under the guidance of relevant experts. 

Such projects will not only generate low-cost electricity but also help in reducing the harm­ful effects of climate change, he said, adding local coal should be preferred, instead of expensive imported coal in coal power gen­eration projects. The prime min­ister also directed to immediate­ly start work on the construction of 2400 MW solar power proj­ects while ensuring transparen­cy in the entire process.

The government, he said would take all possible steps to re­duce the circular debt of the power sector. The meeting was also informed about the prog­ress on the establishment of the electricity energy market in the country.

It was informed in the meet­ing that with the establish­ment of energy market in the country, the performance and capacity of the power sector would be effectively increased that would eventually help 27 million domestic consumers. It was also informed that most of the work by the Power Division had already been completed in this regard.

‘OUT-OF-BOX SOLUTIONS’

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has as­sured that his government is exploring realistic options to come up with out-of-box solu­tions to provide relief to elec­tricity consumers.

During an interaction with foreign media representatives in Islamabad, he said the gov­ernment would make informed decisions to satisfy the masses on the issue of electricity bills without deviating from the country’s commitments with the international financial in­stitutions.

Mentioning the issues of cir­cular debt, power theft and tax­es, the prime minister said the government would introduce short-term solutions to the is­sue without undermining the agitating people.

He assured that the caretak­er government is mandated to facilitate holding the general elections as early as possible while observing the constitu­tional obligations.

Anwaarul Haq Kakar said the Constitution called for carry­ing out the delimitation of con­stituencies following the popu­lation census. He said without redesigning the government structure, the interim setup is mainly focused on rearranging the fiscal and monetary poli­cies to build an edifice for eco­nomic revival. 

Calling the Special Invest­ment Facilitation Council a strategy for economic revival, he said it focused on agricul­ture, mines and minerals, de­fence production and informa­tion technology.

However, he also spelled out the economic reform agenda of his government, saying that the imminent steps included the privatisation of two or more power distribution companies.

The prime minister said the government is pursuing a policy of doing the doable and provid­ing a strategic direction to eco­nomic planning. To a question, he said all the registered polit­ical parties would be provided a level playing field to contest the general elections without any discrimination. However, he said in certain instances, polit­ical behaviour turned into van­dalism and the country’s law was already in vogue to deal with such conduct. 

Talking about the terror at­tacks by the TTP, the prime min­ister drew attention to the left­over military equipment by the United States and allied forc­es back in Afghanistan, which, he viewed, were becoming a threat to peace thus necessi­tating a coordinated approach to deal with the challenge. He said the foreign forces left Af­ghanistan after losing interest but we are here to defend our home, children, mosques and places of worship.

He said the Pak-Afghan ties are deeply rooted in cultural and faith-based linkages as well as social integration. Pakistan showed magnanimity to the Af­ghan refugees and the govern­ment is coming up with a policy to address the challenge of ille­gal immigrants, he added.

The prime minister said re­gardless of any political associ­ation, the people of Balochistan welcomed every project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which had entered the second phase.

He reiterated the govern­ment’s resolve to go to any ex­tent to protect the Chinese workers taking part in the CPEC projects. Referring to the mas­sive reserves worth 6 trillion dollars of copper and gold in Balochistan, the prime minis­ter said the Reko Diq project is about to start soon.

He called for all the stakehold­ers to formulate a model to ex­plore the mineral-rich area to make the world see Pakistan through a different prism.

The prime minister ex­pressed the hope that foreign investment projects worth 25 billion dollars each from Sau­di Arabia and the Middle East would realize in a time span of two to five years.

About the May 9 riots, he said the attack on the military instal­lations was an attempt to create societal disorder, and that exis­tential threat needed a lawful response and he supported the laws to curb such behaviour. 

Pak-IMF talks underway to provide relief to inflation-hit people Meanwhile, a local news channel late Monday claimed that the caretaker government had reportedly chalked out a plan to provide relief to the power consumers. Citing sourc­es, the TV channel went on to say that the interim government had decided to provide relief of up to Rs3,000 to consumers us­ing up to 300 units in October’s electricity bills. 

Likewise, the power consum­ers whose electricity bills are of Rs60,000 to Rs70,000, will benefit from a reduction of Rs13,000. The insiders, accord­ing to the report, say that talks between the International

Monetary Fund (IMF) and the caretaker government are un­derway on the matter of pro­viding relief to the power con­sumers. 

Another media report says that the Washington-based global lender had sought more data from the Power Division for its decision on various sug­gestions forwarded to the Fund seeking relief in the increased bills for August and September.

“We have shared the required data with the Fund people hop­ing that IMF may today (Mon­day) come up with its response with a yes or no to the asser­tions of the Finance and Power Divisions, seeking permission for relief to inflation-stricken people in electricity bills,” says the media report. 

“ At the moment, authorities of both Power and Finance divi­sions are in hectic talks with the Fund.” Following continuous protests by citizens and traders, who have taken to the streets against the exorbitant hikes in power bills and addition of tax­es, the caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar-led setup in Islamabad has been trying to woo the global lender to agree to provide immediate relief for electricity consumers in the cash-strapped country, where people are already battered by skyrocketing inflation.

The interim premier, on Au­gust 31, had assured about the likelihood of the Fund nodding to the government’s relief-re­lated proposal — aimed at pro­viding relief to the public — in 48 hours, but it kept waiting to hear back after the deadline elapsed.

The IMF was earlier briefed about the said proposal, under which some portion of the tar­iff — up to 30% for August and September — would be scaled down and the impact of re­duced tariff would be passed on to consumers in six months of the winter season, from Oc­tober 2023 to March 2024 in a staggered manner.

‘STRATEGY FOR ECONOMIC STABILITY’

Caretaker Prime Minister An­waarul Haq Kakar Monday di­rected the Ministry of Finance to devise an effective strategy to bring economic stability in the country. The prime minis­ter said this in a meeting with Interim Finance Minister Sham­shad Akhtar who called on him here. The finance minister also briefed the prime minister on the current economic situation in the country. 

MQM LEADERS, ADMIRAL (R) ASIF SANDILA CALL 

ON PM

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders Mustafa Kamal and Anis Qaimkhani called on Caretaker Prime Minister An­waar-ul-Haq Kakar on Monday and discussed matters relating to mutual interests. 

During the meeting, both leaders discussed the problems of Karachi with the prime min­ister and thanked him for taking steps to resolve those issues, a press release issued by the PM Office Media Wing said.

Also, Admiral (R) Muhammad Asif Sandila called on Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Monday and discussed matters relating to mutual in­terests. 

Asif Sandila congratulated the prime minister on assuming the charge of his office and ex­pressed best wishes for him. PM Kakar appreciated the services of ‘Moawin Foundation’, which was working for the welfare of marginalized segments of rural areas under the leadership of Asif Sandila.