ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday instructed the initiation of disciplinary actions against officers and personnel of power distribution companies who were found overbilling consumers for electricity.
The Prime Minister directed the Power Division to suspend implicated officials and instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch investigations into these incidents.
The directives were issued during a meeting focused on reforms in the power sector and the promotion of solar energy, a statement issued from the PM Office Media Wing stated.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Sardar Awais Khan Leghari, Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State Ali Pervaiz Malik, and senior officials attended the meeting.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the need for exemplary punishment for officials involved in overbilling, especially targeting those who misallocated units to protected consumer categories.
He urged accelerated efforts towards renewable energy sources to reduce dependency on imported fuel for power generation, stressing that Pakistan must not burden the poor with past policy failures.
Sharif highlighted the potential of solar energy in Pakistan and instructed the immediate closure of non-functional and costly government-run power units. He underscored that leveraging renewable resources would lead to reduced electricity bills for consumers.
The Prime Minister underscored that global trends favor renewable energy, and he instructed prioritized measures to harness Pakistan’s solar energy potential.
