ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly criticised the PTI government on the issue of high electricity and gas tariffs, saying that the IMF had directed Imran Khan to increase the electricity bill and the PTI government issued the ordinance in this regard.
“Imran Khan is running the Pakistani economy on the instructions of the IMF, hence tarnishing the country's image,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Bilawal Bhutto said that the people are suffering the consequences of Imran Khan's incompetence in the IMF deal through their high electricity and gas bills. “Imran Khan has now planned to rob Rs700 billion from the pockets of the poor people,” he said. He said that Imran Khan is proud of his performance; people are looking for this performance for the expensive electricity and gas bills in their hands. He said Imran Khan, who tore the electricity bill at Rs8 per unit, is now silent when it has gone up to Rs21 per unit. Bilawal said Imran Khan has no idea about the situation of a middle class family who is reluctant to run the air conditioner due to expensive bills in this hot weather and during the month of Ramazan while they are fasting. “In the state of Madina, will the savings of a middle-class common man be used only to pay electricity and gas bills,” he asked.
The PPP chairman also said that PTI had called a sit-in at D-Chowk against inflation and is now making people stand in line in front of banks to pay the expensive electricity bills. Addressing Imran Khan, he said that the prime minister, it is not the previous governments that are responsible for raising the electricity and gas bills but you yourself. He said that the people of Pakistan are paying a terrible price for change in the face of high electricity and gas bills. Bilawal termed the expensive electricity by the tyrannical PTI government for ordinary consumers, who use 300 units per month, as an extreme act of poor enmity. He demanded that Imran Khan should announce reduced price for consumers who use 300 units per month. He said that the extraordinary increase in electricity and gas prices has created havoc in the country by bringing a tsunami of inflation today. Declining demand for Pakistani products is also affecting the export sector, he said, adding that a possible increase in gas prices would make fertilizer more expensive, leaving 43 percent of the country’s agricultural manpower and 20 percent of GDP affected.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Senate Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday questioned the government economic and vaccination policies and said that Pakistan is going through unprecedented times as along with fighting the COVID virus, people are now fighting the destruction virus that this government has brought upon them. “Na Ehl Sarkar (Incompetent regime) is failing at multiple levels which can be seen in how they have handled the COVID situation or how the economy is in shambles,” she said while commenting upon two and half year rule of the PTI government. Sherry Rehman said that despite the challenging situation, we are yet to see an action plan by the government. “Where is the government,” she questioned. She said from 2018, Tabahi Sarkar (Incompetent regime) has taken foreign loans worth a whopping $33b which includes Eurobonds.
She said World Bank projects only 1.3% GDP growth for our economy which is the lowest in South Asia and external debt has skyrocketed to Rs18 trillion - increase of 7.5% in a year while our overall public debt has crossed Rs44 trillion. “This is the same PTI which claimed that it would not borrow but return loans. Why have they gone back on the words?” she asked. She said it is a shame that instead of giving relief to people in Ramzan, they are being burdened with extreme inflation as average food inflation hovers around 18.7% which is the highest in South Asia. She said People are struggling to pay for daily staples like eggs, wheat, sugar and chicken. Sherry Rehman said despite Competition Commission of Pakistan Report that PTI leaders made billions from sugar hoarding, some are still holding key positions. “People are battling both a severe spike in COVID-19 transmission along with a 17.68 % surge in food prices this year,” she said. The PPP vice president said due to their enhanced borrowing and irresponsible governance, each person in Naya Pakistan will have a debt of Rs175,000 on them.
