Ex-minister questions power tariff hike

Former caretaker commerce minister Dr Gohar Ejaz has raised concerns about the steep rise in electricity bills, questioning how the cost per unit has reached as high as Rs80 when the production cost in July was only Rs9 per unit.

In a tweet, Dr Ejaz pointed out that in July, the total average electricity generation was 20,000 megawatts, with 35% of this, or 7,000 megawatts, generated from hydropower sources.

He highlighted that the production cost for electricity in July was Rs9.03 per unit, yet consumers are being billed at rates of Rs40, Rs60, or even Rs80 per unit.

In the tweet, Dr Gohar Ejaz stated, "In July, the total average electricity generation was 20,000 megawatts, with 35% of this—7,000 megawatts—coming from hydropower sources." He further explained, "The production cost for electricity in July was Rs9.03 per unit. So how are the bills reaching Rs40, Rs60, or even Rs80 per unit?"

Dr Gohar criticised the current situation, attributing the high bills to "mismanagement and the payment of capacity charges for electricity that is not actually produced."

He noted that Pakistan has the capacity to generate over 43,000 megawatts of electricity but stressed that "Pakistan should only pay for the electricity that is actually generated."

He called on the federal government to provide fairness for all consumers—residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural—highlighting that "many are struggling under the current rates."