PM Imran defers move to hike electricity tariff for Karachi

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan decided during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) Thursday to defer a move to hike up the electricity tariff in Karachi.

In the CCoE meeting chaired by PM Imran here in Islamabad, it was decided not to go ahead with the Economic Coordination Committee's (ECC) proposed move to jack up the power tariff by Rs2.89 for the K-Electric's customers.

The ECC had earlier approved the recommendation to increase the tariff.

The premier's decision came on the back of disagreements in the Cabinet over the ECC's proposed move, for which he had summoned a special meeting today.

Sources informed Geo News that Information Technology Minister Syed Aminul Haque, of the MQM, and Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, of the PTI, had opposed the suggestion amid the ongoing electricity crisis in the city.

During the CCoE meeting, PM Imran assigned some important tasks to the federal ministers and once again directed for the issue of load-shedding in Karachi to be resolved immediately.

The prime minister advised his ministers to closely monitor the Karachi load-shedding issue, noting that injustice with citizens of Pakistan's financial capital was unacceptable. The federal government, in this regard, would provide resources, he added.

The premier also directed that until the matter was resolved properly, Karachi should be supplied power from the national grid on an emergency basis. Haque, in response, thanked him on this decision.

Earlier, while speaking to Geo News, the IT minister had stated that while the MQM-P was the ruling PTI's coalition partner, his party still had its own thinking and ideology. As an ally, the Karachi-based party had a responsibility to bring all matters to the Centre's attention.

Haque had further stressed that the MQM-P had raised its voice over the Karachi load-shedding issue on every forum and had presented to the prime minister the matter.