The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has summoned details of the top 300 electricity defaulters, as public and private entities owe trillions of rupees to power distribution companies (DISCOs). The failure to recover outstanding dues has resulted in losses of Rs877 billion to the national exchequer.
During a PAC session chaired by MNA Junaid Akbar, audit objections related to the Power Division for the fiscal year 2023-24 were reviewed. Officials disclosed that DISCOs had Rs877 billion in pending recoveries during 2022-23, with massive unpaid amounts across various power companies.
According to the audit report, FESCO has 513 consumers owing Rs2.47 billion, while HESCO has 5,900 consumers with Rs44.46 billion in unpaid dues. LESCO faces arrears of Rs16.1 billion from 3,736 consumers, and PESCO has 824 consumers defaulting on Rs8.6 billion. QESCO’s outstanding dues are the highest, standing at Rs603.35 billion from 2,428 consumers.
Other defaulters include SEPCO, which is owed Rs119.83 billion by 342 consumers, TESCO with 146 consumers defaulting on Rs6.17 billion, and IESCO, where 142 consumers owe Rs200 million. Audit officials informed the committee that 118 letters had been sent to the Power Division for recovery efforts, but QESCO remains the most problematic.
Committee member Khalid Magsi raised concerns over Balochistan’s worsening security situation, stating that movement in the province has become nearly impossible and alleging that BLA operatives move freely. He argued that recovering dues in Quetta is no longer feasible, claiming that the Balochistan government is among the largest defaulters.
The Power Division Secretary informed the committee that DISCOs have submitted recovery plans for Rs162 billion, promising personal oversight of the process. In response, the PAC chairman instructed the auditor general to verify the recovery progress by the next session and ordered two Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) meetings per month, with monthly reports on collections.
The committee also examined DISCOs’ failure to remove outdated electrical infrastructure and highlighted unpaid dues exceeding Rs501 billion. It was further revealed that DISCO officers had been receiving free electricity, prompting the Power Secretary to announce that the government has decided to discontinue this facility.
