Islamabad: Analyst Shahbaz Rana has expressed concerns over the government’s handling of electricity payments, stating that while the government is burdening the public with exorbitant electricity bills, it is simultaneously pressuring industrialists to terminate electricity agreements. He highlighted that controversial payments are being made to politicians, revealing that the government distributed 20 billion rupees among power plants owned by influential political figures in August.
In a discussion on Express News’ program “The Review,” Rana noted that all payments were made under the guise of fuel costs, with the pricing based on imported coal. He lamented that many power plants are using bagasse (sugarcane waste) as fuel for electricity generation. He pointed out that during the 2013-2018 government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), payments for bagasse were tied to imported fuel costs, leading to the current situation where the public is compelled to pay electricity rates as high as 65 rupees per unit.
He detailed specific payments, stating that Salman Shahbaz’s Chiniot Power Plant received 1.48 billion rupees, while Hamza Sugar Mills, owned by Mian Rashid, was given 1.42 billion rupees. Additionally, Jahangir Tareen’s JDW was awarded 4.1 billion rupees. Javed Kiani of Chinar Energy received 840.3 million rupees, and Makhdoom Umar Shehryar’s Rahim Yar Khan Mills was paid 399.3 million rupees.
