ISLAMABAD: Just as Prime Minister Imran Khan placated the nation with news that Pakistan would receive a $6 billion relief package from Saudi Arabia, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Thursday announced plans to increase power rates for consumers using more than 300 units of electricity.
An increase in the cost of electricity was one of the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a bailout package. The global financial institution has frequently told Pakistan to rationalize its expenses and take tough economic decisions.
According to the new rates, people consuming between 300 and 700 units of electricity will pay a 10 percent additional tax while those who use between 700 and 1,500 units will pay 15 percent.
Finance Minister Asad Umar said the decision was inevitable, citing the current economic challenges and the issue of circular debt as the prime reasons. However, he also added that the government had reduced the power tariff by five percent for the agricultural sector.
The ECC-approved power tariff will impact consumers from November.
While the prime minister has said that his government is likely to get monetary assistance from two other friendly countries in the upcoming days, Pakistan may still need additional aid from the IMF, in order for Islamabad to address the country’s structural economic imbalances and meet stringent financial conditions.
Pakistan hikes power tariff despite Saudi bailout
Pakistan hikes power tariff despite Saudi bailout
- Finance minister says decision was necessary to break circular debt
- New rates will be applicable from next month
Pakistan reports new polio case, taking 2025 tally to 31
- The virus infected a four-month-old girl in KP’s North Waziristan district
- Symptoms were detected in December last year, health authorities said
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported a new case of wild poliovirus in its northwest, taking the country’s total number of polio cases in 2025 to 31, health authorities said on Tuesday, highlighting the persistence of the disease in high-risk areas despite vaccination campaigns.
The latest infection was confirmed in a four-month-old girl from North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, which detected wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in laboratory samples.
“The child had onset of symptoms in December, and subsequent samples collected from her were positive for WPV1, the lab reported this week,” said the statement. “Therefore, this is the 31st case of 2025.”
Last year, Pakistan reported 20 cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nine from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, according to health authorities. Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for more than half of Pakistan’s WPV1 cases in 2025, with 17 of the country’s 31 cases reported from the region.
“Ongoing security challenges have limited consistent access for polio teams in parts of southern KP, including North Waziristan, resulting in persistent immunity gaps and leaving children vulnerable to this paralytic disease,” the statement said.
It added that it was critical to ensure that every child is reached with the polio vaccine in every house-to-house campaign and has received full doses of routine immunization.
Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis, mainly in children under five.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the disease remains endemic.
