Lahore:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a major rescue measure for people affected by the floods on Saturday, leading electricity distribution companies (disco) to immediately stop the collection of electricity bills 2025 in the areas affected by the floods.
Chairing a high -level meeting on the issue, the Prime Minister said that a full rescue set concerning electricity bills for the affected regions would be finalized and announced after the end of the interviews with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He also asked the discos to adjust the invoices already paid by consumers affected by the floods for August 2025 in the invoices of the coming month.
Stressing the magnitude of devastation, Shehbaz said the floods had moved and affected millions of people across Pakistan. “In this difficult period, we make every effort to alleviate the pain of our people,” he added.
He said that federal and provincial institutions were fully engaged in rescue and rehabilitation operations. “We will not rest until each victim of the floods returned home,” he promised.
Torrential rains and floods have caused heavy loss of life and goods in northern Pakistan – Gilgit -Baltistan and Khyber -Pakhtunkhwa – as well as Punjab. While flooding levels are now stabilizing in Punjab, the Sindh remains threatened.
Meanwhile, the Federal Minister of Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari expressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday for his appropriate and friendly decision to give up electricity bills for areas affected by floods.
In a statement, the minister said that electricity bills in August had been completely canceled for consumers in the regions affected by the floods. He added that the amounts already collected would be reimbursed to the people.
“The division of power will ensure the immediate implementation of the Prime Minister’s directive,” said Leghari, reaffirming the government’s commitment to relieve citizens facing tests due to floods.
L’Express PK Press Club had pointed out on Saturday that the government had decided to relieve electricity bills to consumers and had asked for the head of the International Monetary Fund to this end.
After the Prime Minister’s instructions, the ministry held a virtual meeting with the IMF and asked for its approval for the renunciation of bills, they added.
The Pakistani authorities asked the IMF to postpone invoices for three months on the grounds that similar emergency services were offered in 2022 in the areas affected by the floods. The IMF has sought more data than the division of the powers would provide during this week.
Sources have indicated that consumers in the Lahore Electricity Supply Company regions, Gujranwala Electric Power Company, Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company and Multan Electric Power Company were affected by the biblical deluge. Consumers from Sukkur Electric Power Company are also affected by floods.
