The government has prepared a plan where power consumers who use 300 units of electricity would be provided a relief of Rs3,000 on the bills, sources said.

They added that there would be a reduction of Rs3,000 in bills up to 300 units for the month of September. The same rule would be applied to bills for the month of October.

But the relief was subject to the consent of the International Monetary Fund with whom Pakistan has signed a loan agreement.

Meanwhile, interim PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the state was constrained by its commitments to multilateral international financial institutions which it had to follow through at any cost.

He was speaking in response to a query on increase in the power bills and the consequent mass protests.

Kakar highlighted issues in the country’s taxation and electricity production and distribution mechanisms.

The interim PM also denied reports of downplaying the protests against exorbitant power bills. He said the words “wheel, jam and strike” were attributed to him even when he did not use them. He clarified that he only disagreed with the analysis that the protest would lead to a civil war.

“Yes I think there is a social class which is under immense burden,” he said.

The prime minister explained that his financial and power teams were looking into the “nitty gritty” of the issue to recommend short-term solutions in a manner so that the government did not have to roll them back later on.