Electricity Worth Rs. 600 Billion is Stolen Every Year: Minister

Pakistan loses Rs. 600 billion per year due to electricity theft, Energy Minister Owais Ahmad Laghari told a private news. He said many feeders requesting electricity are not metered, and illegal transformers are widespread, making it difficult to provide electricity without burdening consumers. He said there was 6,000 MW of surplus power available on Saturday which wasn’t distributed to avoid losing Rs. 2.5 billion. Breaking down the losses by region, Laghari noted an annual loss of Rs. 137 billion in PESCO and tribal areas. In Sindh, excluding Karachi, Rs. 51 billion worth of electricity is stolen each year, while Punjab faces Rs. 133 billion in losses, and Balochistan Rs. 100 billion. Areas like Peshawar, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Nowshera, and Charsadda collectively account for Rs. 65 billion in stolen electricity, he added. The minister said it is crucial to address electricity theft without discrimination or political bias. He acknowledged the political pressure faced by chief ministers concerning load-shedding but highlighted that the approach of the KP chief minister has been particularly effective. The minister vowed to curb electricity theft and mentioned that efforts were already underway to collaborate with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan to address the issue.