ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi said on Saturday the government was aware of the challenges faced by citizens due to escalating electricity costs, as the prime minister called an emergency meeting on Sunday to address the issue amid announcements urging non-payment of utility bills from mosques in the country.

Solangi issued the statement during a joint media briefing in Islamabad with the federal secretary of the power division to articulate the government’s stance over the current state of electricity tariffs.

The media interaction followed protests by Pakistani trade associations and citizens in various urban centers following the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) implementation of a tariff hike of Rs4.96 per unit in July.

The government has also increased the prices of petroleum products substantially twice in the ongoing month, raising the overall cost of living in the country further amid mounting inflationary pressure.

“Caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi has acknowledged the challenges faced by the people due to rising prices of electricity,” reported the state-owned Pakistan Television news channel. “All stakeholders have been invited to attend the meeting chaired by the prime minister [to discuss the issue].”

Earlier, Pakistan’s interim PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said he had summoned an urgent meeting focusing on mounting cost of electricity on Sunday.

“In the meeting, a briefing will be sought from the ministry of power and distribution companies and consultations will be held to give maximum relief to consumers regarding their electricity bills,” he added.

Meanwhile, video clips from Pakistani cities of Mansehra and Wazirabad went viral on the social media, showing announcements from mosques in which people were urged not to pay their electricity bills to register protest.

All these developments have come after trade associations in Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar issued warnings of potential “consequences” if the government did not bring down the power tariffs.

NEPRA’s decision to increase the electricity rate followed a requirement imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the approval to a $3 billion bailout package amid major financial challenges facing Pakistan.