PTI slams govt over 'bad economy, load-shedding'

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday lambasted the federal government over the worsening electricity crisis, economic mismanagement and a growing assault on constitutional rights.

In a joint press conference held at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, senior PTI leaders, including Sheikh Waqas Akram, Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub and Taimur Jhagra, blasted the government.

Referring to the controversial February 8 elections, former provincial minister Taimur Jhagra warned the public not to forget how the current coalition government led by the PML-N and PPP came into power.

He said electricity tariffs under the present administration have become massively expensive compared to the previous PTI government.

"Where there used to be just a few hours of loadshedding in Punjab, now people are enduring outages lasting over 12 hours. In K-P, the temperature has hit 46 degrees Celsius and there is still no respite from prolonged power cuts," he said.

He dismissed the government's economic claims as "fabricated figures", arguing that it had failed to protect even the most basic rights of ordinary citizens. "From agriculture to industry, all sectors are in decline. The required electricity supply is simply not reaching those who need it most," he said.

Jhagra also drew comparisons with regional competitors, lamenting, "Today, Bangladesh is miles ahead of us in the power sector."

He criticised the government's plans to privatise only three distribution companies – LESCO, FESCO and IESCO – asking, "What national benefit can come from selectively privatising just three utilities?"

He said over six million people in the former FATA region remain without electricity access, and no one in government has taken responsibility.

"The K-P budget has been presented. Let the people see for themselves what makes the difference," he said, referring to the provincial government's unveiling of the budget with a total outlay of Rs2,119bn for the fiscal year 2025-26, a day ago.

Jhagra also protested that PTI leaders were being denied meetings with the incarcerated party founder, Imran Khan, questioning under what law or constitutional provision such restrictions were being imposed.

Electricity shortfall

Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Waqas Akram lamented that the country was facing a growing shortfall between electricity demand and supply.

"The situation in rural areas is especially dire. Loadshedding in K-P and Balochistan now spans 12 to 18 hours daily. Even in Punjab, there is a minimum of four hours of outages," he said.

He slammed the utility privatisation narrative, saying, "Go ahead and privatise FESCO if you wish, but what about improving the performance of LESCO, IESCO and others?"

Akram also raised alarm over the treatment of political prisoners, particularly those held in Kot Lakhpat military trials. "These prisoners are being subjected to political vengeance. In this heat, they are being denied their basic rights, including the right to appeal," he said.

Senior leader Shibli Faraz stressed the power sector's centrality to the economy. "Electricity is the engine that drives our economy. Our power sector is vast but has seen no meaningful development in recent years," he said, accusing PML-N and PPP of damaging the sector.

"Today, there are long hours of loadshedding in most major cities. When there's only one buyer for your power company, problems are inevitable. We introduced competition in the power sector during our tenure," he added.

Faraz also highlighted the growing burden of circular debt and unpaid dues of petroleum and power companies.

Omar Ayub said his speech during the federal budget session was deliberately taken off air. "Even WiFi access was suspended during the session. They feared I would hold up a mirror to their failures," he claimed.

He noted that international markets are becoming unstable due to the Israel-Iran conflict, which could severely disrupt oil supplies. "If this war continues, the country's Rs6.5 trillion deficit could worsen. Iran, a key oil hub, exports to Japan, Europe and others. Any disruption there will impact us all," he warned.

Ayub accused the current government of shelving PTI-era power projects and said the nation had access to significantly cheaper electricity during PTI's rule.