Electricity bill defaulters

Rehman Malik's unpaid electricity bill for February was Rs153,788.

The publication of a list on March 4 of ministers who have defaulted on their electricity bills reads like Pakistan’s Hall of Shame.

The prize for most ironic inclusion, in said list, goes to Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who famously quipped in June 2012 to recover all electricity arrears and promised a reduction in outages: Islamabad Electricity Supply Company claims Mr Malik has not paid his bill since moving into his home in the minister’s enclave and owes Rs4.9 million.

According to the newspaper report, his bill for February was Rs153,788 and it should come as no surprise that it, too, like the bills of the 55 months, remains unpaid. While federal ministers and advisers are given a monthly allowance of Rs24,000 by the government, any excess must be borne by the ministers or advisers themselves.

In Mr Malik’s case, the average monthly bill is Rs89,000. Mr Malik could end up being remembered as the man with the most guffaws and least accomplishments to show for as far as his portfolio is concerned and now he can add “defaulter” to the list.

Mr Malik is joined by colleagues like Minister of Narcotics Control Haji Khuda Bakhsh, who has not paid his bill for 49 months and owes Rs1.07 million and Minister of Postal Services Umar Gorgeij, who has not paid his bill for 38 months and owes Rs1.96 million. Speaker of the National Assembly owes Rs381,266 and has not paid for 13 months either. Babar Khan Ghauri, Syed Naveed Qamar and Dr Asim Hussain are just a few ministers who regularly paid their bills.

How can Pakistan’s power crisis be solved if the dues it is owed are not recovered? It is especially criminal if those dues are owed by its elected officials. How tragic that while hard-working citizens’ connections are cut off for failing to pay their bills on time, influential individuals enjoy perks and privileges with impunity.

In December last year, we learned that 86 mosques in the capital defaulted on utility bills to the tune of Rs22.59 million. This criminal negligence must be put to an end and disconnections be made without prejudice.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2013.