Info minister says setting bills on fire won’t bring electricity cost down

ISLAMABAD – Mass protests against increasing electricity prices continued in crisis-hit Pakistan, with distressed power consumers burning electricity bills in a bid to convince the government to slash tariff costs.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi however said protests, burning bills, and calls for non-payment of bills will not bring any relief but more miseries.

In a social media post, Solangi said failing to pay electricity bills would bring power outages for most people as minister stressed need for better understanding, comprehension, and government initiatives to address the concerns.

In a previous interview, he said several proposals were being mulled in the cabinet meeting. Kakar-led government is chalking out a plan to cut power tariff amid protests against rising electricity bills, a move that was proposed by the International Monetary Fund for bailout funds.

It was reported that the global lender did not immediately approve Islamabad’s request for recovering electricity bills over a period of six months amid raging protests.

IMF reportedly sought more time to review the request of Pakistani government for making installments of electricity bills. Monthly installments would not bring more relief as people would be forced to pay their regular bills along with the installments.