PTI rejects power tariff cut as ‘cruel joke’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday dismissed the government’s announcement of a Rs7.41 per unit reduction in electricity tariffs as a “cruel joke” with the inflation-stricken nation, arguing that it comes after cumulative hikes of Rs30 per unit over the past two years.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram pointed out that during his party’s tenure, the average electricity price stood at Rs16.40 per unit, which has now surged beyond Rs45. He stressed that excluding sales tax from these calculations makes the purported Rs6 relief meaningless for already overburdened consumers.

The Shehbaz government’s sole economic strategy is to first inflate prices by over 100 percent and then offer trivial reductions of 7-10 percent to deceive the public,” Waqas charged. He noted that while global oil prices have declined, the government has instead raised taxes, further squeezing the masses. “Now, with this additional tax revenue, they’re offering a meager Rs6 cut after hiking tariffs by Rs35,” he added.

The PTI leader challenged the ruling elite, questioning why the Sharif and Zardari families don’t repatriate their offshore wealth to invest in Pakistan if economic conditions are truly favourable. “Instead of fostering growth, they prefer holding out a begging bowl,” he remarked.

Waqas also dismissed reports of internal rifts within PTI as “propaganda,” asserting that such claims reflect opponents’ wishful thinking rather than reality. “PTI remains the strongest, most united political force under the leadership of its founder, Imran Khan,

“Ours is a democratic political party and difference of opinion among members is a part of any democratic process within a party or organisation. Despite relentless efforts over the past two years including brutal suppression and oppressive tactics aimed at dismantling the party, PTI remains the country’s largest and most popular political force at present,” he claimed.

He argued that narratives about party divisions are deliberate distractions from the country’s real crises. Waqas recalled that the successive governments of ‘PDM-I and PDM-II’ employed all forms of repressive measures, including forced divorces, in an attempt to break and weaken his party. Yet, despite these efforts, he claimed, the party secured a resounding two-thirds majority in the February 8 general elections.

“The people’s mandate was stolen in broad daylight, and power was handed to compromised figures,” he concluded, reiterating PTI’s resolve to fight for democratic rights.