ISLAMABAD: The federal government, in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Finance Ministry, is finalizing a relief package for electricity consumers in flood-hit areas, expected to be announced within the next 24 to 48 hours. The update was shared by Power Division Secretary Fakhar Alam Irfan while briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy on Wednesday.
The package aims to ease the burden of electricity bills in disaster-affected regions and is being designed in consultation with both the IMF and economic managers in Islamabad. “In a day or two, we will bring a relief plan for affected consumers,” Irfan assured the committee, chaired by MNA Muhammad Idrees.
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The session turned heated as lawmakers grilled Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) over chronic governance failures, low recovery rates, and persistent unannounced load-shedding. Irfan contrasted Hesco’s poor performance with Lahore and Multan distribution companies, which had achieved up to 100 percent recovery. “Hesco’s problem is governance, not capacity,” he said.
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Committee members also questioned blackouts beyond the seven to eight hours of scheduled load-shedding permitted by regulators. Hesco’s chief executive admitted to unplanned outages due to operational flaws, sparking further criticism.
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On financial performance, Irfan revealed last year’s power sector losses stood at 397 billion rupees against a 640 billion rupee target, while the current fiscal year has been capped at 540 billion. He added that Hesco and Sepco will not be privatized but handed over under concessionary contracts, with boards soon restructured to include a private-sector majority.
