Former prime minister and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that the situation had come to such a pass that no one; however rich, could pay electricity bills.
He made the statement while chairing a high-level session alongside Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to review matters related to the CM Solar Panel Scheme 2024 in Lahore.
He said that electricity bills had become a headache for everybody. “I eliminated loadshedding and even kept power tariff under control last time I was the country’s prime minister,” he said, adding, “Until 2017, not only the electricity rates, but the rate of US dollar was low too.”
Reacting to the court verdicts, he said: “A person walking on road was told, come, we will give you justice.” He said that what was the need to do injustice with the country. “We had sent back the IMF and who brought it back afterwards,” he queried.
Referring to his disqualification in the Panama Leaks case, he said the court’s decision applied brakes to the country’s progress. “It is time that those judges giving decisions today should think over it,” Nawaz said while referring to the Supreme Court’s decision to award reserved seats to the PTI.
“What is the need [of such decisions] which increased sufferings of this country,” the former premier questioned, lamenting that the country was successfully achieving the milestones of development and prosperity before his ouster from power.
“Electricity bills have become a trouble for everyone […] not only for poor people but for everyone,” he added. The PML-N president claimed that his government had “eliminated loadshedding and controlled electricity rates”.
He also took credit for maintaining a low inflation rate and a stable currency, as well as “getting rid of the IMF” programme but all positive efforts went in vain after the change of regime in 2018. “All of us know well, who bring the IMF to this country, again.”
“The decision-makers will have to think now and care about our people,” he insisted.
He asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led administration “to do everything to provide relief to the masses”.
In the same session, Punjab Secretary Energy Dr Naeem Rauf gave a detailed briefing on the programme and said that a test run of the pilot project had been started in different locations in which the performance of the solar panel systems will be observed.
He added that the scheme will be launched from August 14 after completing the test run of the pilot project.
While detailing the scheme, Rauf said that the eligibility of citizens for acquiring solar panels will be ascertained through their power bill reference number and computerised national identity card submitted at 8800.
“District administration and power distribution companies will verify credentials of the applicants who are declared successful in the balloting,” he added.
Subsequently, specific bar and QR codes will be printed on solar panels and systems to stop their sales in the markets, said Rauf.
He further briefed that those power consumers will be ineligible for the scheme who were
