Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently reminisced about 2017, a time when there was no significant price hike in Pakistan, and highlighted his success in ending the power crisis within three years.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader announced that the Punjab government has decided to provide relief in electricity bills for consumers using up to 500 units during August and September.
During a press conference in Lahore on Friday, Nawaz Sharif, alongside Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, praised the provincial government for offering this relief package. He mentioned that the provincial administration reduced the development fund to provide a Rs14 per unit reduction in power bills.
Nawaz Sharif reflected on 2017, stating that there were no issues with price hikes, and people enjoyed a comfortable life. He recalled his tenure as Prime Minister, starting in 2013, and how his government worked on the economy, making it one of the world’s best-performing economies at the time. He noted that the global community recognized Pakistan’s emerging economy under his leadership, with the US dollar pegged at Rs95 and later maintained at Rs104 due to export-related challenges.
The former PM also addressed his removal from office, questioning the fairness of his disqualification over not drawing a salary from his son. He emphasized that the current price hikes are not the PML-N’s responsibility, and he criticized the previous government for bringing Pakistan back under the IMF’s influence. Nawaz Sharif reiterated that his government had resolved the power crisis before the end of its term, with electricity bills for the average consumer at just Rs1,600 in 2017, compared to Rs18,000 now. He also pointed out that the interest rate during his tenure was around 5%, which later surged to 22% under the PTI’s rule.
Nawaz Sharif thanked Maryam Nawaz for her efforts in reducing flour prices after taking office in Punjab. Reacting to Nawaz Sharif’s statements, PTI leader Hammad Azhar accused the former PM of misleading the public. Azhar disputed Nawaz’s claims about the rupee’s value, asserting that the dollar was kept at Rs104 artificially, using $30 billion of the nation’s reserves, which led to a severe economic crisis in 2017 and 2018. He added that the PTI government managed to restore economic growth to 6% and criticized the PML-N for the significant increase in electricity prices.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also praised the relief package for electricity consumers, describing it as a public-friendly initiative led by Nawaz Sharif and the Punjab Chief Minister. He highlighted the ongoing efforts to combat electricity theft and implement power sector reforms, emphasizing that public relief and reducing inflation remain top government priorities. The Prime Minister noted that Rs50 billion from the federal development budget was recently redirected to provide relief to consumers using up to 200 units of electricity.
