According to Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, government employees in Pakistan consumed free electricity worth Rs. 8.19 billion in 2022. This means that electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) provide electricity to government employees without charging them for it. The data indicated that approximately 189,000 employees benefited from this arrangement, enjoying complimentary electricity units.
The Senator called attention to data from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), which showed that those in the power industry used 340 million units of electricity for free, in a statement on X.
Senator Mushtaq Ahmed further noted that throughout the course of the previous 15 months, the nation suffered considerable financial losses as a result of power theft, amounting to a total of Rs. 500 billion.
Additionally, he emphasized that 743 power sector employees were subject to sanctions for their role in aiding electricity theft.
422 of the employees who faced repercussions worked for the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), 124 for the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), and 118 for the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO).