Hike in power tariff govt’s cruel act: Shehbaz

LAHORE: PMLN President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif has termed the Rs 2.52 per unit increase in electricity tariff another cruel act of the PTI government.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said this increase proved that the liar government's promise of relief turned out to be another lie. He reminded that he had warned regarding the so-called tax-free budget by the PTI being a blatant fraud, which was being proven again by repeated price hikes in all essential commodities and public utilities. The PMLN president said he had also warned that the economy wouldn’t function and the people of Pakistan won’t be able to survive if this government was allowed to continue any longer. “Ending subsidy on gas for industries will trigger another economic crisis as it would shut down industries and create even more unemployment. This withdrawal of subsidy would also jack up electricity tariffs, which would have a devastating effect on the current inflation and stall national growth. This cannot be allowed to happen”, he stressed.

He expressed alarm over reports of the newly-procured LNG costing Rs 5,000 per unit. The 400 to 500 cubic feet daily shortage of gas is a clear proof of this government’s criminal mismanagement. The price of sugar has tripled from Rs 53 to Rs 160 per kg over just 3 years, he pointed out. He said that in Peshawar sugar, is being sold at Rs 175 per kg. Where the government and its so-called relief package was, he questioned. Illegal profiteers robbed Rs 270 billion of public money while the Imran Khan government stands helpless.

Shehbaz said the root cause of all these crises is the PTI government’s corruption, incompetence and autocratic rule. The people of Pakistan would continue to face this inflation until they take a direct action against this brutal injustice, he said.