PTI slams govt over prolonged, unscheduled power outages

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram strongly criticized the government's gross incompetence, economic mismanagement, and administrative paralysis that have made life miserable for ordinary Pakistanis.

He said the most visible and cruel manifestation of this failure is the ongoing, unscheduled load shedding across the country, which has turned homes, businesses, hospitals, and workplaces into sites of daily suffering.

In a press statement issued by PTI Central Media Department on Thursday, PTI CIS stated that it is astonishing that a country with nearly 46,000 MW of installed capacity is unable to meet a demand of around 16,000 MW. He added that it is even more shocking that the government failed to honor its own announcement of limiting load shedding to 2.5 hours.

Instead, PTI CIS stated that Islamabad witnessed more than four hours of outages, major urban centers of Punjab such as Lahore, Faisalabad, and Kasur suffered up to eight hours, while KP and other parts of the country endured 16 hours or more without electricity.

He lambasted the authorities for labeling this chaos as a “Peak Relief Hours Strategy,” saying officials are insulting the intelligence of citizens by claiming the outages are meant to protect consumers from higher fuel-based generation costs. He noted that people are already paying some of the highest electricity tariffs in the region — rising from Rs 20 to nearly Rs 60 per unit — yet are being deprived of basic supply.

PTI CIS stated that artificial stability through borrowing was no reform, adding that the government continued to project the rollover of a $3 billion Saudi deposit and remarks by the IMF as major achievements. In reality, he said, replacing one friendly country’s deposit with another only highlights the government’s inability to build foreign exchange reserves through exports, investment, and structural reform.

He added that the IMF’s praise is limited to stabilizing a crisis created by the government itself, with no visible reform agenda, no growth pathway, and no confidence-building for investors. He criticized the regime for celebrating plans to seek an additional $2.5 billion loan after promising to “break the begging bowl.”

Waqas Akram said that contrary to official claims, international partners are openly pointing out that Pakistan’s investment climate is deteriorating. He referred to observations by European Union representatives that while the government talks about investment, it shows little seriousness about trade, which is the real driver of sustainable investment.

He warned that Pakistan’s GSP+ trade status could be jeopardized due to concerns over human rights and enforced disappearances, adding that the government’s actions are putting the country’s economic future at risk.

He said the government is highlighting a $1.07 billion current account surplus for March as a sign of recovery, whereas the year-to-date surplus has shrunk to negligible levels and the trade deficit for nine months has surged past $25 billion compared to $21 billion last year. He maintained that this so-called stability is heavily dependent on remittances rather than productive economic activity.

PTI CIS termed the Public Sector Development Programme performance deeply disappointing. Out of a Rs 1 trillion allocation, only Rs 588 billion has been released and merely Rs 414 billion spent in nine months. He said recent cuts have severely affected all sectors, including the war-affected regions of former FATA, while funds for government parliamentarian schemes remain protected.

He demanded the immediate release of remaining PSDP funds, particularly for neglected and backward regions. Waqas Akram said that even eight years after the merger, the rightful NFC share of ex-FATA and KP remains unresolved. He termed it shameful to use national finances as a political tool and urged the Prime Minister to immediately address this injustice.

He concluded that Pakistan’s citizens are paying the price for a government that lacks vision, competence, and sincerity. From crippling power outages to economic stagnation, from borrowing dependency to development paralysis, the regime has failed on every front.

PTI CIS demanded immediate corrective measures to restore electricity supply, revive economic confidence, ensure fair resource distribution, and prioritize public welfare over political expediency.