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Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi, has sought to clarify recent media reports regarding the statements made by interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar in relation to the issue of inflated electricity bills. Solangi emphasized that certain sections of the media had misreported the prime minister’s interaction with journalists and provided context to the remarks.
The clarification follows the prime minister’s recent interaction with journalists amid nationwide protests concerning surging electricity bills and record-breaking inflation. The protests have prompted a shutter-down strike organized by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and various traders’ associations, with support from the legal community as lawyers boycott courtrooms.
Solangi, in a statement, clarified that when Prime Minister Kakar was questioned about whether the electricity bills had led to chaos or anarchy in the country, he had ruled out the latter. However, the prime minister did not dismiss the matter as a non-issue.
At no point did the PM @anwaar_kakar term the higher electricity bills as “ non-issue”, something a section of the media has been mis-reporting about.
The PM said the reports of chaos and anarchy were not serious and that was a non issue. He not only sympathised with people,… pic.twitter.com/79qURVjPtf— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) September 2, 2023
Solangi further explained that the prime minister had not stated that the issue of electricity bills was not a concern for the people. Instead, he had elaborated on the reasons behind the high electricity costs. Kakar had reaffirmed during the media interaction that a solution to the issue would be devised soon.
Solangi also highlighted that certain individuals had been using the electricity bill issue for political gain in light of the upcoming elections. He underscored that Prime Minister Kakar had not labeled people’s problems as unjust.
Solangi urged the media to report news based on factual information and noted that some responsible journalists had confirmed that the prime minister had not referred to the matter of electricity bills as non-serious.
In conclusion, Solangi appealed to the media to adhere to journalistic norms and presented a couplet from the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz to comment on the misreporting of the media interaction.
