TP REPORT
PESHAWAR: Former Finance and Health Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and secenir member Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Taimur Saleem Jhagra strongly criticized the federal government during a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, accusing it of imposing inflation on the public under the pretext of war.
Jhagra stated that PTI fully supports the Iran–United States peace talks taking place in Islamabad.
However, he added that even before any war situation, the government of Shehbaz Sharif had already burdened the public with massive price hikes, causing severe hardship.
He demanded that, in accordance with international laws, PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi be shifted to a hospital for medical treatment due to illness.
Jhagra accused the federal government of manipulating fuel prices, saying it initially increased petroleum prices overnight to benefit oil companies by billions of rupees, and later reduced prices under public pressure. He criticized the government for what he described as “drama” on television, with ministers and the prime minister presenting conflicting narratives.
He further alleged that while development funds across departments had been cut, the Prime Minister’s parliamentary scheme worth Rs. 70 billion remained untouched, calling it blatant corruption.
Discussing the energy crisis, Jhagra said that although the government announced only two and a half hours of load shedding, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was facing up to 12 hours daily.
He warned that the situation would worsen with the onset of summer. He compared this with Islamabad facing 2.5 hours, Punjab four hours, and other provinces up to eight hours of load shedding.
He also claimed that funds allocated for the former FATA region under the NFC Award had still not been transferred to the province. He criticized the government’s spending habits, alleging that the Prime Minister and his relatives were making frequent trips to Gulf countries on special chartered planes.
Referring to a BBC documentary, he alleged that the health system in Punjab was flawed, citing a case where 331 children were infected with HIV due to the reuse of syringes.
Jhagra stated that the federal government had failed to provide any relief to the public over the past four years, instead increasing the prices of gas, electricity, and petroleum, pushing people into severe inflation. He warned that the economy was deteriorating steadily with no signs of improvement.
He added that LNG plants were being set up, but government ministers themselves were criticizing their own policies on television. He also claimed that revenues collected through petroleum levy had not been shared with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He further criticized inconsistent government decisions, saying that taxes were removed from diesel but imposed on petrol, confusing the public. He said that load shedding in some areas had reached 16 to 22 hours.
Jhagra also objected to taxes on solar energy, stating that people installing solar panels due to lack of electricity were now being penalized. He criticized the government’s stance on net metering, saying it was contradictory to discourage reduced electricity consumption.
He said the government should have anticipated tensions between Iran and the United States and maintained sufficient fuel reserves, but instead failed to even secure 30 days’ supply, leading to increased load shedding under the guise of austerity.
Regarding LNG agreements, he claimed that despite a contract with Qatar, payments of Rs. 4.2 billion were being made even without receiving LNG supplies.
He also mentioned that figures like Miftah Ismail and Ali Pervaiz Malik were openly criticizing their own government policies on television.
He criticized the Sahiwal power plant, saying it was incorrectly built in an agricultural area instead of near the sea.
In conclusion, Jhagra said the public is demanding accountability for rising inflation, injustice, and what he termed “economic bombs” dropped by the government in the name of war. Responding to a question, he added that while the government had imposed up to 50% taxes on the public, it had failed to provide any real relief, instead enjoying privileges while asking citizens to adopt austerity.
