As expected, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) rubber-stamped the government’s October 1 electricity power hike after being ordered to take over pricing decisions by the Supreme Court. Consumers of power across the country – and this means a majority of its 185 million people given that power transmission lines reach out into most parts of the country – can now only contemplate the future with a growing sense of despair. They are now faced with power bills going up by between around 40 to 170 percent from October 1 this year, with the last ray of hope – or should we say the last ray of light – taken away as Nepra sent up the new rates to the government for implementation. While those who use less than 200 units of power in a month will be relatively unaffected, every other category of consumer will face price increases ranging from around Rs10 per unit to over Rs12 per unit. The effects will be catastrophic for many. Such a massive hike in the price of power has not been seen in the country and will naturally affect the budget of virtually every household ranging from very low-income groups to those in the middle and higher middle brackets.

Although the price increase may now fulfil the legal criterion laid down by the Supreme Court that does not make it any wiser. The decision will also have a general inflationary trend with the prices of other goods going up as a direct result of the rise in power tariffs as production costs rise and shops need to pay higher bills. Once again it is the law-abiding public that will have to bear the burden since the government does not seem to have the ability or willingness to go after electricity theft and bill dodging by the powerful and the wealthy. It also seems to have settled on a policy of increasing prices as a way to worm its way out of a financial hole rather than seeking to expand our supply of electricity. This was seen recently when the government banned the use of CNG for three months in Punjab in the winters so that it could continue providing gas to domestic and industrial users. In the mid-2000s, it was official state policy to try and convince people to switch their vehicles over to gas; now that our gas supply is running short it has to resort to rationing even though it could simply fund our portion of the Iranian gas pipeline and get a steady supply for the long-term.

The government-IMF combine seems determined to squeeze every last penny out of those who pay their bills. This is the same tack it has taken with regard to tax collection – by raising the general sales tax (GST) but not going after the wealthy defaulters. The government has all but conceded defeat and it is us who will pay the cost. Nepra added insult to injury by saying that it would seek to manage the power crisis by forcing shops to close after 7 pm, a mere cosmetic measure that has been tried before and has always failed. Next thing you know, we’ll return to farcical policies like reintroducing daylight saving hours in the pretence that the government is trying to do something other than just make electricity more expensive for us. At a time when a bold vision is needed, the government unfortunately is showing only timidity. The gas pipeline has been all but shelved for the time being because of fear of the US and we so badly want IMF loans that we are simply succumbing to their every dictate. This is not a recipe for success down the line. The way to raise more revenue is by improving transmission lines, collecting bills and investing in infrastructure. The extra money raised now is only a band-aid measure that provides limited help to the government and hurts everyone else.



General Kayani, while addressing graduates at the Kakul Military Academy, has said in the plainest possible words that the military fully supports civilian efforts to make peace with India. This is something the COAS, who will end his term in office at the end of this month, has said before as well. But for peace to be made a reality, the regular skirmishes across the Line of Control in Kashmir need to end. For the first time in months since the latest round of firing over this temporary border broke out, General Kayani has chosen to make his feelings known and not mince words while attacking the comments made by his Indian counterpart. He has rejected allegations that Pakistan was planning to send militants into Kashmir or had already done so and also that firing by its troops across the line had killed people on the Indian side.

The remarks by the COAS are welcome. They indicate that while he has so far shown admirable restraint, he is not willing to allow false allegations of all kinds to be hurled about. Indeed, it is hard to understand why these were made in the first place by General Bikram Singh. There can be little gain for either country by doing anything that creates greater tension between them. Indeed, General Kayani’s complete refusal to talk on the issue so far is by far the preferable option. But at the same time, it would be unwise to stay quiet too long. The point has to be made, also to avoid the Indians making use of a lack of response to drive on with more provocative statements. Indeed, the Indian government, which under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly spoken of its desire for peace should question why these accusations have been hurled about and what the truth is regarding incidents of firing over the LoC that we hear of from time to time. The fact cannot be ignored that they come at very significant moments, most recently ahead of the planned meetings between the prime ministers of both nations in New York. It is obvious then that Kashmir has become a dispute that hawks can use repeatedly to push forward with their own agendas. This is a not welcome state of affairs. Something needs to be done to prevent such situations arising again and again and find a way to achieve this if there can ever be hope of a sustainable peace between the two South Asian neighbours who have fought three wars in the past.


On paper it sounds like a classic mismatch. In one corner are South Africa – currently the world’s top Test team. The Proteas have not lost an away series in seven years. They have come to the UAE – venue of Pakistan’s ‘home’ series – with some of the world’s top players. In the other corner are Pakistan – arguably the most unpredictable of all Test-playing nations. The Pakistanis are still smarting from an embarrassing Test defeat against minnows Zimbabwe last month. They are in the UAE with a brittle batting line-up which was finalised almost at the eleventh hour and that too in a chaotic manner. Their captain is in the twilight of his international career while their coach is unlikely to be retained once his stint is over.

But like life, sports can be a great leveller. One of South Africa’s most lethal weapons is their pace attack. But that edge might get blunted in sweltering UAE heat. Their batting line, too, is a formidable one but there is likelihood that on the low, slow and turning tracks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Pakistan’s potent spin attack spearheaded by Saeed Ajmal will counter it. Taking these two factors into account, it can be said that the two-match series which begins in Abu Dhabi from Monday (tomorrow) might not be a mismatch after all. That Pakistan are facing a very uphill task is undeniable. The question is whether they can rise to the occasion and conquer the mighty South Africans.