Govt admits circular debt spiked to Rs2.5tr till Dec

Power minister informs NA high-loss feeders will be privatised

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government has admitted that circular debt spiked to Rs2.536 trillion till December 2022.

During the Question Hour at the National Assembly on Monday, Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir presented statistics related to the circular debt, saying that line losses had reached Rs113 billion.

He maintained that the government had taken a major decision in view of the increasing circular debt, adding that the high-loss feeders would be privatised and that the incumbent regime had decided to enact laws to prevent widespread power pilferage.

He said electricity theft would be declared a punishable crime, noting that circular debt was a multifaceted problem.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary secretary said that the suggestion to privatise high-loss feeders had not been finalised. He said the privatisation process in this regard would be formally initiated after approval of the proposals.

Read Debt restructuring carries risks

Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada informed the National Assembly that the present regime passed landmark legislation ‘Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022’ aimed at providing protection to a person during custody from all acts of torture perpetrated by public officials.

To a question, the minister said the government was committed to ensuring safety and protection of human rights in the country by adopting legal measures.

The latest legislation was beneficial for the public as it ensured safeguard against custodial torture and the conduct of humiliating citizens in custody while depriving them of their basic fundamental rights.

In a written reply to another question, the house was informed that the human rights ministry had taken up 23,173 cases/complaints of human rights violation through its four regional offices located in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad during the last three years.