Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday criticized the Federal Government for the worsening of the electricity crisis, the bad economic management and a growing assault on constitutional rights.
At a joint press conference held at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa camera, PTI senior leaders, including Sheikh Waqas Akram, Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub and Taimur Jhagra, criticized the government.
Referring to the controversial elections of February 8, former provincial minister Taimur Jhagra warned the public not to forget how the current coalition government led by the PML-N and the PPP entered the power.
He said that electric tariffs under the current administration have become greatly expensive compared to the previous PTI government.
“Where there used to be only a few hours of load loading on Punjab, now people last interruptions for 12 hours. In KP, the temperature has reached 46 degrees Celsius and there is still no respite of prolonged energy cuts,” he said.
He dismissed the government’s economic statements as “manufactured figures”, arguing that he had not been able to protect even the most basic rights of common citizens. “From agriculture to the industry, all sectors are in decline. The required electricity supply is simply not to reach those who need it most,” he said.
Jhagra also made comparisons with regional competitors, lamenting: “Today, Bangladesh is ahead of us in the electricity sector.”
He criticized the government’s plans to privatize only three distribution companies, Lesco, Fesco and Iesco, asking: “What national benefit can come from selectively privatizing only three public services?”
He said that more than six million people in the old Fata region remain without access to electricity, and no one in the government has assumed responsibility.
“KP’s budget has been presented. Leave people to see for themselves what makes the difference,” he said, referring to the presentation of the provincial government budget with a total disbursement of RS2,119b for fiscal year 2025-26, a day ago.
Jhagra also protested that PTI leaders were denied meetings with the founder of the imprisoned party, Imran Khan, questioning under what constitutional law or provision such restrictions were imposed.
Electricity deficit
Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Waqas Akram lamented that the country faced a growing deficit between the demand for electricity and supply.
“The situation in rural areas is especially serious. The load load in KP and Baluchistan now covers 12 to 18 hours a day. Even in Punjab, there is a minimum of four hours of interruptions,” he said.
He criticized the narrative of privatization of public services, saying: “Continue and privatizes Fesco if you wish, but what is to improve the performance of Lesco, Iesco and others?”
Akram also gave alarm for the treatment of political prisoners, particularly those carried out in the military trials of Kot Lakhpat. “These prisoners are being subjected to political revenge. In this heat, they are denied their basic rights, including the right to appeal,” he said.
Senior Senior Senior Faraz emphasized the centrality of the electricity sector for the economy. “Electricity is the engine that drives our economy. Our electricity sector is vast but has not seen significant development in recent years,” he said, accusing PML-N and PPP to damage the sector.
“Today, there are long hours of charging in most important cities. When there is only one buyer for your electric company, the problems are inevitable. We introduce competition in the electricity sector during our mandate,” he added.
Faraz also highlighted the growing load of circular debt and unpaid fees of oil and energy companies.
Omar Ayub said his speech during the federal budget session was deliberately removed from the air. “Even Wifi access was suspended during the session. They feared that it would maintain a mirror of its failures,” he said.
He pointed out that international markets are becoming unstable due to Israel-Iran’s conflict, which could severely interrupt oil supplies. “If this war continues, the RS6.5 RS6.5 deficit of the country could get worse. Iran, a key oil center, exports to Japan, Europe and others. Any interruption there will affect us all,” he warned.
Ayub accused the current government of energy shelves of the PTI era and said that the nation had access to significantly cheaper electricity during the PTI rule.
