In a recent announcement, Energy Minister Awais Leghari introduced a new “Electricity Facility Package,” suggesting that citizens switch from gas to electricity for their winter energy needs. Minister Leghari, in a press conference, expressed confidence in this measure, stating that if implemented successfully, it could provide real relief to consumers, particularly during the colder months. He spoke of reducing electricity prices, fulfilling promises to citizens, and advancing an agenda for economic reform aimed at boosting industrial productivity. But in a country where the cost of electricity has skyrocketed since the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) took office in April 2022, such reassurances ring hollow. What was once a unit price of 16 PKR has surged to an overwhelming 70 to 80 PKR today—rates that are far from affordable, even for those who had already found the previous 16 PKR rate to be burdensome.
For the average household, the minister’s proposal to “replace gas with affordable electricity” feels like little more than an empty promise. Are we seriously to expect households that struggle to afford current electricity prices to abandon gas for this supposed “cheaper” option? There’s little indication that this so-called relief will genuinely ease consumers’ financial strain. Many are left wondering: if “affordable electricity” is truly available, why is it not priced around 10 or 12 PKR per unit? Instead, households face the daunting task of managing an ever-growing energy bill, while industries and investors alike have opted to shift operations abroad due to prohibitive energy costs.
Leghari’s six-month “switching” solution, with citizens alternately using gas stoves for half the year and electric stoves for the other, risks sounding out-of-touch with the realities of those hit hardest by inflation. Perhaps more realistically, the government could directly provide electric stoves to households, and make electricity accessible at minimal rates—as it is for officials residing in luxury government quarters or working within energy departments. As the proverbial “mother” of the nation, it is the state’s responsibility to alleviate such pressures on its citizens. With a surge in financial support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and allied countries, Pakistan is positioned to channel some of these resources toward essential services.
Setting electricity rates at a modest level, say at three PKR per unit as in Azad Kashmir, could bring tangible relief to millions. Rather than sweeping promises, what the public needs are concrete, actionable policies that ensure both immediate and sustainable energy affordability. This approach would honor the government’s role as a responsible guardian of the public’s welfare and begin to restore public trust in a time of economic uncertainty.
