Days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured a “significant cut” in electricity prices, Power Minister Awais Laghari stated on Friday that it is still too early to confirm when this relief will be implemented. During an interview with Voice of America’s Urdu service, Mr. Laghari refrained from giving a specific timeline for the tariff reduction, emphasizing that discussions are ongoing about the timing and method of offering this relief.
While the minister’s remarks may dampen immediate expectations, he called on provincial governments to take the initiative, similar to Punjab’s recent move to provide subsidies to consumers using between 200 to 500 units. Mr. Laghari suggested that if other provinces followed suit, they could offer significant relief with relatively modest expenditures. Specifically, he noted that the Sindh government could subsidize electricity in Karachi for Rs7 billion and the rest of the province for Rs3 billion, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could implement a subsidy program for Rs8 billion.
By encouraging provincial leadership in providing subsidies, Mr. Laghari aims to ensure broader relief for electricity consumers across the country.
