• Sindh launches project to bring solar power to 1.6m households
• PPP chief says green energy only solution to crisis
• Compares PML-N’s power relief with PTI’s petrol subsidy, warns ‘short-term relief may lead to long-term suffering’

KARACHI: The decision of the Punjab government to provide a subsidy to power consumers in the province remains a bone of contention between the two major allies, with PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari calling the move ‘unsustainable’ in a speech on Thursday.

The PPP chief, whose party rules Sindh, also compared the relief with a petrol subsidy announced by the PTI government during its last days in power. Such moves could provide “short-term relief but [may] lead to long-term suffering”, he said while speaking at the Chief Minister’s House to mark the launching ceremony of the solar home systems project. The project aims to provide solar panels to 1.6 million low-income households across the province in phases. In the first phase, 200,000 households will be solarised.

“We welcome the [Punjab government] announcement to the extent that it aims to lower electricity costs, but the decision remains perplexing to me. If short-term relief leads to long-term suffering, such projects are not in the public interest,” said Mr Bhutto-Zardari. “Frankly speaking, I am unable to understand this decision [of the Punjab government],” he said, adding that “it could cause a year-long pain” to the people of the province.

“It reminds [me of] the same decision which Khan Sahib [Imran Khan] had taken when his government was about to fall [due to the opposition’s protests]… At that time, he reduced the price of petrol by Rs20 per litre. That relief, however, had lasted a week or two but we are still facing the challenges due to that decision,” he added. “Today, there’s neither a long march nor a threat of a vote of no confidence. So I am unable to guess that why such a decision has been made.”

He reiterated his desire for a sustainable solution to the electricity crisis and asserted that relief to the masses in electricity bills could be achieved through green energy. He also highlighted the plight of the people of Larkana, who endure 18 hours of loadshedding daily.

However, he asked Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to discuss the electricity relief matter with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for Sindh consumers and find ways to facilitate the inflation-hit people. “If the federal government can convince us of its cheaper electricity plan, we are ready to forego our solar home system project and follow theirs. But if they cannot, they should support us,” he said, linking the relief with renewable energy.

The event was attended by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, former CM Qaim Ali Shah, PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sindh Energy Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, provincial ministers, and other party leaders.

Solar power project

Earlier, the PPP chairperson inaugurated the first phase of the solar energy project, which aims to provide relief to the people affected by expensive electricity and loadshedding. The project, launched by the Sindh government, will see 200,000 families, eligible under the Benazir Income Support Programme, receive free solar systems in two regions — Larkana district and Karachi division — of the province.

In his address, Mr Bhutto-Zardari emphasised his party’s commitment to sustainable solutions for public issues.

He stated that this project aligned with the PPP’s manifesto vision, adding that the PPP wanted to ease the burden on the lower-income segments of society.

He also highlighted that when he initially proposed the idea of providing solar energy to low-income families, it was criticised by various quarters, including the media and caretaker government.

However, he noted with satisfaction that the entire nation had now recognised the need to provide the poor with affordable electricity.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024