��������Ƶ

ISLAMABAD: The Eco­nomic Coordination Com­m­i­ttee (ECC) of the Pakistan government on Tuesday formally approved subsidy-neutral discounted electricity rates during winter in a bid to boost consumption and cut the use of natural gas for heating, the finance ministry said. 

The move is expected to provide relief to businesses and citizens, who have suffered from steep and sudden increases in electricity tariffs following energy sector reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Utilities in Pakistan, many of which have had to curtail or even completely cease operations in winter months due to demand dropping by up to 60 percent from peak summer levels, will also benefit from the move.

Pakistan relies heavily on expensive natural gas and burning wood for heating during winter. Power consumption in Pakistan has declined 8-10 percent year on year over the past three quarters, according to energy ministry figures. 

The new winter package, which will apply between Dec. 2024 to Feb. 2025, has been approved for the industrial, domestic, commercial and general services consumers of state distribution companies (discos) and K-Electric, the main utility in the port city of Karachi, “to enable optimum use of system generation capacity besides reducing gas demand due to shifting of favorabe demand toward electricity.”

“The ECC discussed the proposal and approved it, calling the subsidy-neutral interim relief initiative worked out by the Power Division as being timely and relevant in view of recent surge in electricity tariffs and the reduced demand across various consumer categories,” the finance division statement added. 

The package would apply to incremental consumption over the past years and includes 18-50 percent discounts depending on various consumer categories and consumption slabs. 

Incremental consumption will be calculated using a weighted average formula based on the last three years’ usage.

According to the power division, the base rate for domestic consumers is a minimum of Rs37.49 per unit and a maximum of Rs52.07 per unit, but additional consumption would be charged at Rs26.07 per unit for both categories. This would be 30 percent cheaper (Rs11.42 per unit) compared to a minimum rate of Rs37.49 and 50 percent (Rs26 per unit) compared to the maximum rate.

The energy ministry has previously said the move to slash winter tariffs will help industries reduce electricity costs by 7-8 percent at an optimal level, while stimulating industrial growth in the process.

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party as well as a government spokesman both ruled out negotiations ahead of a planned protest by the PTI in the federal capital on Nov. 24, while police warned of action against supporters if they violated a ban on public gatherings.

The denials follow widespread reports on electronic and social media of negotiations between PTI and the government as the party prepares to lead a ‘long march’ to the capital on Sunday over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners, including Khan, and in support of the independence of the judiciary. 

On Monday, just days ahead of the protest, the district magistrate imposed a two-month-long ban on the gathering of more than five people in Islamabad using Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which allows the government to prohibit various forms of political assembly, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations, and other activities for a specified period.

Pakistan’s parliament also passed a law earlier this year to “regulate” public gatherings in Islamabad, including by specifying timings for rallies and designating specific areas. The law has set three-year jail terms for participants of ‘illegal’ assemblies, with ten-year imprisonment for repeat offenders.

“There is no contact between the PTI and government,” Khan’s close aide, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, told Arab News, saying the party intended to go ahead with its protest plan.

 “We intend to stay within the law and within our constitutional right of peaceful assembly,” he added.

Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) ruling party, who is a parliamentary secretary of information and broadcasting, said the law would “take its course” against violators of the newly passed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024.

“Section 144 has been imposed, and under the clearly defined process of the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, anyone violating the law will be dealt with strictly, as it is the government’s responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people,” Chaudhry told Arab News.

“There will be no tolerance for [breaking the law] and definitely the law will take its course.”

Chaudhry also said there had been no contact between the PTI and the government ahead of Sunday’s protest.

“As of now, there is nothing from the official channel and if it has not been done till now then I don’t think they [PTI] are in a mood to take the government on board,” he added.

Responding to a question about the deployment of paramilitary, army and other security agencies to assist police on the day of the protest, the PMLN leader said the government would do everything necessary to ensure the security of the residents of Islamabad:

“It is an utmost priority for the government to ensure the protection of the people.”

Nazia Rafiq, a spokesperson for Islamabad Police, said the law enforcement agency would ensure that laws were followed. 

“Section 144 has been imposed by the district administration, and it is our responsibility to adhere to state policies and ensure the implementation of the rule of law but so far, everything is under control,” she told Arab News.

“However, if any unlawful activity occurs, the police will handle it in accordance with the law and the directions provided.”

The PTI’s recent rallies and marches, organized to create pressure for Khan’s release from prison, have been thwarted by similar bans on public gatherings. 

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the all-powerful military, which denies interfering in politics. 

Khan says the cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the February elections, are politically motivated.