KARACHI: The federal government on Monday afternoon directed the Karachi Electric Supply Company to reduce the power tariff from 70 per cent to 5.5 per cent for the consumers who use up to 100 units in a month.

A KESC spokesman said that the drastic cut would not only benefit more than 15 per cent “lifeline consumers” but also those who fell in other categories. However, he was sceptical when asked about the possibility of a similar reduction in the power tariffs for traders, industrialists and other consumers, who had refused to pay the inflated electricity bills for the month of September.

Traders have announced that they will observe a strike on Friday to register their protest against what they described as diabolic conspiracies against Pakistan’s industrial and trading hub.