Pakistan gov’t says no relief in power bills as protests escalate

Islamabad, Pakistan – The government of Pakistan has expressed its helplessness to lawmakers in the face of inflated power costs, surging fuel prices and fast-rising inflation, as public resentment risks bubbling over with multiple protests across the country.

Interim Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar told members of Pakistan’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday that the country has no “fiscal space” to provide any immediate relief to the public. She went on to warn there might be…