Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) President Nawaz Sharif expressed severe criticism of the current government's handling of the country's electricity crisis.
Sharif highlighted the widespread issue of skyrocketing electricity bills, which he claimed have become a burden not only on the poor but on all citizens.
Addressing a special meeting chaired by the former premier, which focused on Punjab Chief Minister Solar Panel Financing Scheme, the former Prime Minister called attention to the government's failure to address the rising costs effectively.
"The country is not being treated well," Sharif lamented, recalling a recent incident where a person walking on the road was assured justice by the authorities. "I ask what is the need to do injustice to this country?"
During the meeting, Maryam Nawaz, the party's prominent figure, instructed to expedite the process for issuing the solar panel scheme. She emphasized the need to simplify the financing scheme and ensure its swift implementation.
The Secretary of Energy, Naeem Rauf, provided a comprehensive briefing on the scheme, which aims to alleviate the load-shedding crisis by providing solar panels to over 100,000 consumers in its initial phase.
The scheme is set to launch on August 14, following a successful evaluation of online monitoring and a test run under a pilot project. To prevent misuse, the solar panels and systems will be equipped with barcodes and QR codes, and verification will be carried out by district administration and distribution companies. Notably, customers involved in electricity theft or those with damaged or unregistered meters will be ineligible for the scheme.
Maryam Nawaz also addressed the economic strain caused by high flour and electricity prices, promising efforts to provide relief to the public. She indicated that the scope of the solar panel financing scheme would be gradually expanded.
Sharif defended his party's previous tenure, asserting that they had successfully tackled load-shedding and controlled electricity rates.
He slated the current administration's handling of these issues, questioning the need for ongoing hardship. Sharif further noted that his government had previously resisted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions, emphasizing the detrimental impact of such measures.
