Vehari – A citizen staged a unique protest against the withdrawal of electricity subsidies for those consuming over 200 units by wearing a suit made of electricity bills and hanging a meter around his neck, an image that quickly went viral on social media and sparked widespread public outrage. People echoed former minister Khawaja Asif’s famous line, “There should be some shame, some decency,” as criticism mounted against the elite who receive thousands of free electricity units while the poor are burdened with heavy bills for minimal usage. Mukhtar Ahmad Bhatti, senior member of the Chamber of Small Traders, called the inflation “economic genocide,” while analyst Murshid Abdul Aziz Bhutta said the system is designed only for the rich. Advocate Rana Muhammad Sajid termed the policies unconstitutional and against fundamental human rights; Advocate Ms. Saima Noreen said punishing the poor and rewarding the rich is oppression, not justice; and Advocate Ms. Samer Fatima added that the public’s patience has run out and now rulers must answer.
Laborers, farmers, and vendors lamented that they can neither afford electricity nor feed their children, saying the system is out to destroy them. The public is now demanding fairness in the power system, equal subsidies for all, and an end to free units for the privileged.