Household Electricity Bills To Fall From September Under New Tariff Structure

Islamabad: The government has stopped providing the Pakistan Remittance Initiative subsidy, which reached Rs120 billion, saying the country’s financial difficulties make it impossible to continue the support under the current budget. Banks have agreed to absorb the related costs themselves to keep overseas Pakistanis sending money through official channels. The development puts the spotlight on the future of Pakistan’s remittance system, which depends heavily on money sent home by Pakistanis working abroad. The government had previously used subsidies to help banks facilitate these transfers, but curtailed that support last year. The Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan informed the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue that the government had initially provided subsidies to banks under the Pakistan Remittance Initiative to facilitate remittances from overseas Pakistanis. The total subsidy provided by the government reached Rs120 billion. However, the financial pressure on the government has now made it difficult to continue paying this amount. The subsidy could not be continued in the current budget because of prevailing fiscal constraints. Instead, banks have decided to bear the costs linked to facilitating remittances from their own resources. The decision means that banks will continue providing the service to overseas Pakistanis even though the government can no longer provide the previous level of financial support. The Pakistan Remittance Initiative was discussed by the committee during its meeting at Parliament House in Islamabad on August 25, 2026, under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwalla. The committee considered the government’s decision important because remittances sent by Pakistanis living and working abroad are a major source of foreign currency for the country. The State Bank told the committee that banks decided to continue bearing the associated costs so that the flow of remittances would not be disrupted. The committee appreciated the banks’ decision but also decided to examine their actual performance. Selected banks will therefore be invited to the committee’s next meeting to explain their performance and contribution to the remittance sector. The move comes at a time when the government is facing tight financial conditions and has been forced to reduce or reconsider spending commitments. The end of the Rs120 billion subsidy raises an important question about how the remittance system will operate in the longer term if banks continue to carry the costs without government support. For millions of Pakistanis working overseas, remittances are an important way of supporting families at home. These transfers help families pay for everyday needs and also bring foreign currency into Pakistan. The government’s decision does not mean that the remittance service has stopped. Instead, banks have agreed to continue facilitating transfers while paying the related costs themselves. The Senate committee has now moved to check whether banks are fulfilling this responsibility effectively and whether overseas Pakistanis are receiving proper services. The next meeting is expected to provide the committee with a clearer picture of how banks are handling the change after the withdrawal of the government subsidy. The key issue remains whether banks can continue carrying the financial burden while maintaining an efficient and reliable remittance system for overseas Pakistanis. The Rs120 billion figure also shows the scale of government support previously used to encourage and facilitate remittances through the formal banking system.

The Balochistan government has approved the implementation of a large-scale non-formal education programme aimed at bringing 1.8 million out-of-school children back into the education system. The decision was made during a meeting chaired by the provincial chief secretary, where officials reviewed plans to expand access to education for children who have been unable to attend formal schools due to various social and economic challenges. Under the initiative, children who have missed out on formal education will be provided with alternative learning opportunities through a structured non-formal education system. The programme is designed to help them continue their studies and improve literacy across the province. Officials said the project will be implemented over the next five years. For the current fiscal year, the provincial government has allocated Rs8 billion to launch and support the initiative. The chief secretary said the programme will operate under the supervision of the Social Welfare Department, which will oversee its implementation and ensure educational services reach children in underserved communities. Special priority will be given to children between the ages of 9 and 16, a group considered most vulnerable to dropping out of school or never enrolling in formal education. The initiative is expected to expand educational access, reduce the number of out-of-school children, and improve learning opportunities for thousands of young people across Balochistan.

Voting was suspended at a polling station in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Bhimber district after a clash broke out between workers of two political parties during the first phase of the AJK elections. The incident took place at the Darbar Baba Shadi Shaheed polling station in constituency LA-6 Bhimber. Following the confrontation, polling was halted temporarily. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Abdul Razzaq Chaudhry alleged that workers of an opposing political party started the fight at the polling station. District Returning Officer (DRO) confirmed that a clash had taken place at one of the polling stations at Darbar Baba Shadi Shaheed. According to the official, miscreants snatched a ballot box and set it on fire. The DRO said the ballot box contained 232 votes when it was set ablaze. Returning officials and security personnel are currently present at the polling station. The DRO said legal action would be taken against those involved in disrupting the polling process. Officials have yet to decide whether polling will be held again at the affected polling station. The DRO said a decision on re-polling would be taken later in accordance with the relevant election rules. Apart from the affected polling station, polling is continuing normally at all other polling stations across the constituency. Meanwhile, the DRO also said that former AJK prime minister Anwar-ul-Haq had raised a complaint regarding polling arrangements in constituency LA-7. Officials visited the polling stations where complaints had been received and found that the relevant polling agents were present there.