Days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised a “significant cut” in electricity prices “soon,” Power Minister Awais Laghari stated on Friday that providing a specific timeline for the reduction would be “premature.”
In his Independence Day speech, PM Sharif had emphasized that high electricity bills were a major concern for citizens and assured a significant tariff reduction in the “next few days.”
However, when asked about the implementation timeline during an interview with Voice of America’s Urdu service, Minister Laghari refrained from giving details. Instead, he suggested that provincial governments should take the initiative and offer power subsidies similar to those provided by Punjab.
Laghari indicated that while the government is committed to providing relief, the specifics of when and how this will be implemented are still under discussion. He urged provincial governments to follow Punjab’s example and provide targeted relief to their residents.
According to Laghari, the Punjab government has already provided substantial relief to consumers using between 200 to 500 units of electricity. He proposed that other provinces could also offer relief, citing potential costs: Rs7 billion for Karachi, Rs3 billion for the rest of Sindh, and Rs8 billion for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Despite the delay in federal action, the minister’s comments suggest that provincial efforts could offer immediate assistance to electricity consumers.
