Human Rights Watch
ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the IMF to consider Pakistanis right to electricity and fund universal social protection to phase out subsidies.
In its statement, HRW stated, “The price hike has come during one of the worst economic crises in Pakistan’s history. It has endangered the rights to health, food, and an adequate standard of living for millions of people.”
Furious Pakistanis have been staging protests across the country for the last eight days. They have set electricity bills on fire while demanding that the government roll back the tariff increase and eliminate additional taxes.
On Wednesday, the IMF requested that Pakistan submit a written plan outlining the steps it would take to provide immediate relief to its citizens.
A day earlier, Pakistani authorities shared their plan with the Washington-based lender, assuring that none of the targets agreed upon by the previous government would be compromised.
Caretaker Minister for Finance stated that a team of Pakistani authorities had met with IMF officials. Although she was not part of the team in talks with the lender, she reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to adhere to the Fund’s program.
The HRW highlighted the concessions sought from the IMF by the interim administration in Islamabad. The Fund’s $3 billion deal “mandates the government to remove energy and fuel subsidies. It also encourages transition to a market-based exchange rate, as well as increase taxes.”
The statement further emphasized that “to ensure the removal of fossil fuel subsidies promotes rather than erodes rights, the IMF and the Pakistani government should conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact of these adjustments.”
