The Punjab government has announced a two-month subsidized electricity plan for Islamabad residents, following instructions from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Reports indicate that electricity distribution companies from Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan have sent letters to their Islamabad counterparts to implement this relief.
Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb stated that consumers using between 201 and 500 units will receive a Rs14 per unit discount in August and September, funded by the Punjab budget. Aurangzeb noted that other provinces could choose to provide similar relief from their budgets if they wish.
Read more: Punjab Govt will Provide a Reduction of Rs14 Per Unit in Electricity Bills
However, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governments have opted not to offer immediate relief on electricity bills. Sindh’s spokesperson Murtaza Wahab, also the Mayor of Karachi, revealed that providing two months of relief in Sindh would cost Rs10 billion. A similar package in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa would cost Rs8 billion, and in Balochistan, Rs1 billion.
Wahab criticized the temporary nature of such relief measures and suggested that if the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) recommendations for establishing low-cost power plants in Sindh had been followed, electricity would be cheaper now.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Finance Advisor Muzzammil Aslam noted that both K-P and Sindh generate low-cost electricity, whereas Punjab’s power is more expensive.
He warned that even with the two-month relief in Punjab, electricity prices are likely to rise again afterward. Both Wahab and Aslam urged the federal government to seek a permanent solution rather than temporary fixes.
