LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League (N) president and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says the Punjab government has decided to provide immediate relief in electricity bills for August and September, with up to 500 units of consumers receiving a relief of Rs14 per unit.
While holding a press conference with Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, Nawaz Sharif stated that Punjab will release 45 billion rupees from various government sectors to provide relief to the people. He also urged Shahbaz Sharif to take steps to reduce electricity prices.
He noted that the relief provided by the Prime Minister on 200 units of electricity is a positive initiative, and 700 billion rupees will be spent on the solar panel scheme.
Nawaz Sharif said that they are not responsible for the current inflation, which began during the tenure of the founder of PTI. “We had said goodbye to the IMF; who are the ones who brought it back?” he questioned.
He remarked that those responsible for the current situation are the ones who are now sitting in jail and speaking out loudly. Nawaz Sharif mentioned that in his speech on October 21, he had discussed the issue of electricity prices in detail.
He pointed out that those whose electricity bills are 18 thousand rupees today were paying only 1,600 rupees in 2017. Maryam Nawaz has reduced the price of flour as soon as she assumed office, and she is working very hard, including in the areas of health and cleanliness.
The President of Muslim League-N noted that they had brought the dollar to a value of 95 rupees and maintained it at 104 rupees due to exports and other issues. They kept the dollar at 104 rupees for four years until he was ousted.
Nawaz Sharif also mentioned that some judges removed him from office for not taking 10,000 dirhams from his son. He still questions why they removed him.
“Those who ousted me committed a crime against the country. If I had not been ousted, the dollar would not have risen above 104 rupees, and there would be no inflation today. Who ran the power plants, installed new ones, and ended load-shedding?”
The former prime minister added that they had resolved the electricity problem within five years during their tenure. Shahbaz Sharif was with him, and they worked tirelessly to solve the power crisis in three years.
