A poignant video on social media features an elderly woman discussing her challenging financial situation. In the video, she shares, “My husband’s pension is 8,000, and our electricity bill came to 13,000. I wash dishes for others, and we get by with Zakat and Fitrah, but that’s how life has progressed.”
The statement highlights the stark contrast between her modest lifestyle and the affluent, who accumulate substantial wealth, properties, and overseas assets after retirement.
The video has drawn criticism from political corners, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which took to Twitter to question the lack of accountability for the economic decisions impacting the populace. “Will there ever be any accountability for the economic team bleeding the public dry with such high electricity bills?”
PTI criticized the current administration’s failure to fulfil election promises by parties like PML-N and PPP. These parties had pledged to provide 200 to 300 units of free electricity but have left even the poorest struggling to afford basic cooling in the severe heat.
Adil Nizami, a journalist and anchor for Hum News, interviewed the elderly woman and shared his emotional response during the broadcast. “During the program, many people cried. I held back, but speaking with this mother, I couldn’t help but lose my composure,” he said.
Nizami also referenced statements by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who claimed he would offer 300 units of free electricity if he became Prime Minister, contrasting it with the sentiment that ordinary citizens, often referred to dismissively as ‘form 47’ people, are overlooked by those in power.
