LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar has strongly criticized the federal government’s recent announcement of a Rs 7 per unit reduction in electricity tariffs, calling it a deceptive move that offers no real relief to the public.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, the senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement was misleading, arguing that the government had earlier increased electricity rates to Rs 60 per unit. “Even after this so-called reduction, electricity now costs over Rs 34 per unit compared to Rs 17 during the PTI government,” he pointed out.
Bhachar added that the reduction offers little to no benefit for critical sectors like agriculture, particularly for farmers relying on tube well operations.
Turning to broader economic challenges, Bhachar warned of an impending agricultural crisis. He highlighted that wheat prices have dropped to Rs 2,000 per maund — the lowest in 25 years — and warned that opportunistic stockpiling could trigger a major shortage within six months.
He also noted the sharp fall in canola prices, from Rs 7,000 to Rs 5,000, placing farmers under additional financial strain. He criticized the government’s provision of solar technology to farmers, claiming it is insufficient to run inverter-based tube wells.
Bhachar also lambasted the government’s handling of inflation, citing a 212% surge in prices. During Ramadan, he noted, sugar prices soared to Rs 172 per kilogram while model markets failed to offer quality products, contradicting official claims of market stability.
In his remarks on governance, Bhachar accused the Punjab government of rebranding and claiming credit for previously launched initiatives, transferring their costs onto citizens through utility bills. He expressed concerns over the proposed outsourcing of Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital and questioned Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s capability to manage healthcare facilities.
Additionally, he criticized plans to outsource public schools, highlighting the hiring of underqualified teachers at low salaries and the alleged illegal sale of school lands, a violation of existing laws.
