Federal Energy Minister Awais Leghari has recently revealed that Pakistan suffers an annual loss of Rs600 billion due to rampant power theft. The minister highlighted the gravity of the situation, stating that the country had 6,000 megawatts of surplus electricity on Saturday, but it was deliberately withheld to prevent an additional Rs2.5 billion burden on the national exchequer.
Leghari explained that illegal transformers set up across the country complicate the distribution of electricity, as these feeders are not metered. “If we provide electricity to them, then the consumers having meters will bear the burden. The federation has no charity money to give. It is our responsibility to stop electricity theft,” he asserted.
The minister called on provincial governments to combat power theft, noting that while Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz proactively supported federal efforts, other provinces like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh needed to take more decisive action. Leghari emphasized, “Electricity theft causes a loss of Rs600 billion annually. We will stop it at any cost and not bow to political pressure or threats.”
Leghari provided a breakdown of the losses, revealing that Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and tribal areas face an annual loss of Rs137 billion. In Sindh, excluding Karachi, electricity theft accounts for Rs51 billion in losses. Punjab and Balochistan suffer losses of Rs133 billion and Rs100 billion respectively. Specifically, in regions such as Peshawar, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Nowshera, and Charsadda, the theft amounts to Rs65 billion annually.
The energy minister stressed that efforts to combat electricity theft would be non-discriminatory, despite attempts to politicize the issue. “There was pressure on all the chief ministers on the issue of loadshedding, but no one reacted like the KP chief minister. If he wants 24-hour electricity to people of his province, then our formula will provide better results,” he concluded, reaffirming the government’s commitment to addressing this critical issue without yielding to political rhetoric.
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