By Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities on Saturday to draw up a comprehensive strategy to stabilize electricity tariffs and deliver relief to both industrial and domestic users, as his government presses ahead with long-stalled reforms in Pakistan’s troubled power sector.
Chairing a high-level meeting on energy reforms, Sharif instructed officials to take concrete steps to cut electricity costs for households and factories while ordering significant improvements to the transmission system to reduce line losses. He also called for stricter enforcement against power theft, the expansion of digital payment facilities for bills and accelerated promotion of renewable energy projects to help close the country’s chronic supply gap.
“Steps should be taken to facilitate industrial and domestic electricity consumers,” Sharif said, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. He added that authorities must “bring about a significant reduction in line losses by improving the power transmission system” and “continue strict measures to eliminate electricity theft.” Sharif emphasized that an “uninterrupted supply of energy must be ensured to promote industrial growth,” describing relief for domestic consumers as one of the government’s top priorities. Reforms, he said, would be implemented with the broader interests of the public and industry in mind.
Officials at the meeting presented recommendations on electricity consumption patterns for both domestic and industrial users. Sharif also pushed for greater use of advanced technology across the energy sector and the modernization of infrastructure. The session was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik and other senior officials.
The directives come as Pakistan’s power sector continues to grapple with high generation costs, mounting circular debt and heavy reliance on imported fuels — problems that have strained public finances and kept tariffs elevated for years. Line losses from aging infrastructure and widespread theft through illegal connections and meter tampering have long inflated costs for paying customers.The meeting follows power outages of up to five hours in parts of the country last month, triggered by fuel shortages linked to the conflict in Iran.
Separately, the government has been working since last month on a new tariff structure designed to encourage industrial users to shift more operations to daytime hours and reduce consumption during evening peak periods. Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari discussed the initiative with World Bank Country Director Bolormaa Amgaabaza, telling her that the Power Division — after reviewing concessional tariffs — is developing time-of-use proposals to boost the sector’s competitiveness.
The prime minister’s focus on tariff stabilization and system upgrades reflects mounting pressure to ease the energy burden on an economy still recovering from recent macroeconomic strains. Energy costs remain a central concern for both Pakistani households and businesses, with any relief likely to be closely watched by investors and multilateral lenders.
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