The government has accepted the resignation of Mathar Niaz Rana, a member of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), four months before the end of his term, The Express Tribune reported.
Rana, a former bureaucrat who had previously served as the chief secretary of Balochistan, resigned amid growing concerns over his performance from various stakeholders in the energy sector.
Rana’s resignation has raised questions, particularly as the power sector was showing early signs of recovery. While the exact reason for his resignation has not been officially provided, energy sector officials pointed to his tenure, which included significant regulatory decisions, many of which were influenced by International Monetary Fund (IMF) program requirements. These decisions, however, were often delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles.
One of the most notable issues during Rana’s tenure was the repeated failure of the bidding process for the Muzaffargarh solar power project. Since 2021, the project had been delayed multiple times, with the first bidding round in May 2023 failing to attract any participants. The delay was attributed to NEPRA’s low benchmark tariff, which deterred potential bidders, and to what some officials described as Rana’s indecision.
Sources indicate that Rana’s extension in the role was unlikely, as concerns about his leadership began to surface, particularly regarding the stalled projects and regulatory inefficiencies in the energy sector.
