Govt abolishes free electricity units facility for power sector employees

Awais Leghari says ending free units was the public’s oldest and long-standing demand

The federal government has abolished the free electricity units facility for power sector employees, according to Radio Pakistan.

In a post on X, Power Minister Awais Leghari said for the first time in the country's history, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, free units for power sector staff have been ended. He added that Lahore High Court accepted the Power Division's petition.

Leghari further said ending free units was the public’s oldest and long-standing demand. The minister maintained that government will take every step necessary for the collective betterment of the country.

الحمداللہ پاکستان کی تاریخ میں پہلی بار وزیراعظم شہبار شریف کی قیادت میں پاور سیکٹر کے اہلکاروں کے فری یونٹس ختم ، معزز عدالت نے بھی ہماری عرضی کو قبول فرمایا، یہ عوام کا سب سے پرانا اور دیرینہ مطالبہ تھا جس کو پورا کرنے کا اعزاز اللہ تعالی نے ہمیں عطا فرمایا۔

انشاءاللہ ہر وہ… pic.twitter.com/06hPtqDbzq

— Awais Leghari (@akleghari) April 17, 2026

Leghari's statement came after the Lahore High Court ruled that the government’s decision to discontinue free electricity units for senior officers was constitutional, dismissing a petition filed against the policy.

Justice Malik Javed Iqbal Wains issued the verdict while hearing a case brought by the GEPCO Officers Association. The petition had challenged the federal government’s move to withdraw free electricity units previously granted to officers.

In its ruling, the court observed that officers in grades 17 to 22 had been receiving between 450 and 1,300 free electricity units per month. However, it declared that the withdrawal of the benefit was lawful and did not violate any constitutional provisions.

The judgment also validated the government’s decision to end free units for gazetted officers working in key power sector entities, including WAPDA, DISCOs, GENCOs, NTDC, and PITC.

The court emphasised that such benefits were a facility, not a legal or constitutional right. It further stated that policy decisions fell within the domain of the government, and courts couldnot interfere in such matters as long as they remained within the legal framework.

The judgment highlighted that maintaining free electricity units for employees in grades 1 to 16 was part of the government’s policy, while discontinuing the same for higher-grade officers was a legitimate step aimed at reducing financial losses in the power sector.

Concluding the case, the court dismissed the petition, stating that there was no legal basis for judicial intervention in the government’s policy decision.

A day ago, Leghari had apologised to the nation for the widespread outages and load-shedding across the country, saying the crisis was caused by disruptions in LNG supplies due to the Middle East situation and other factors, adding that conditions would improve once supply lines reopened.

The country is currently facing a worsening electricity crisis, with the overall power shortfall reaching 6,500 megawatts (MW), leading to prolonged load-shedding in several regions and mounting public frustration.

According to sources, total electricity demand has surged to around 22,000MW, while generation remains limited to 15,400MW. The current energy mix comprises 1,500MW from hydropower, 9,250MW from thermal sources, and1,200MW from wind.