Pakistan, as we are all aware, is facing a huge financial problem. Its US Dollar reserves are down to under 9 Billion US Dollars (as compared to around 600 Billion USD of India). It is practically living on an IMF handout. The IMF handout has come with severe conditions. One of them was to hike taxes and increase government revenue. Fuel prices have been rising in Pakistan.
Recently, electricity prices too went up. The rise in electricity prices has given rise to a civil disobedience movement against the incumbent government. Citizens in Pakistan have started to publicly burn their electricity bills. Extremely high inflation, at around 30%, high prices of petrol, diesel, gas and now electricity has made the people realize that their leaders have failed them.
In a hark back to the past, the citizens are now resorting to a civil disobedience movement as started by Mahatma Gandhi against the British in pre-partion India.
They are not only burning their bills but they have rallied together to prevent any authority to disconnect their power. Announcements are being made from Mosques after prayers that people should not pay the bill and if they face legal cases, a body of lawyers has been put together to defend the citizens.
This financial trouble for the citizens and Pakistan spells trouble for the Indian subcontinent. An unstable neighbor can have far reaching security consequences for any country, India is no exception.
The rates are not much higher if one was to compare with rates in Bombay. Power is being sold for 42 PKR in Pakistan, which translates to around 11 INR, the rate of power supply by Adani in Bombay. People of Bombay are not yet protesting. Things may change in the near future.
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