Islamabad

Protests in Pakistan continue to gain momentum with each passing day as hundreds of thousands of locals burn their electricity bills, rejecting the imposed high tariffs and taxes.

While the situation is fast getting out of control, the Pakistan government has said that its hands are completely tied to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and cannot give any relief without the financial agency’s consent.

Pakistan’s Interim Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar has said that the government is tied in chains to the IMF programme and has to implement taxes, further increase electricity and gas tariffs, push prices of fuel higher and increase the tax base.

Pakistan is an import-dependent country, and the commodity prices have to be, passed on, as we do not have the fiscal space and any room for subsidies, which is going to hurt people – whether in the shape of electricity of fuel prices, said Dr Shamshad in her first policy statement after taking office as interim finance minister.

We will have to further increase in power and fuel prices in relation to higher prices in the global markets and lack of availability of any fiscal space for subsidies. We have no choice but to stick to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, she added.

The statement shows the dependency of the current government on the IMF programme and its compulsion to express its helplessness to the people, who are fuming with anger over towering electricity bills, increased fuel prices and imposed taxes.