PM orders audit of DISCOs' billing system

Shehbaz briefed on enhanced services for expats

ISLAMABAD':

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed a comprehensive technical audit of the billing systems of power distribution companies (DISCOs) and stressed that power sector reforms remained among the government's foremost priorities.

The prime minister, while chairing a review meeting on Power Division issues, said as performance of the distribution companies had improved, considerably more effort was still required. He termed the countrywide installation of smart meters indispensable for the sector's turnaround, a Prime Minister's Office news release said.

The prime minister announced that the best-performing DISCO would be formally recognized and awarded for its performance, an incentive, he said, would encourage healthy competition among the companies.

To effectively address load-shedding in rural areas, the prime minister directed that solarization projects be developed at the village level, saying decentralized solar solutions could ease the burden on the national grid in far-flung regions.

The briefing further disclosed that the Islamabad Electric Supply Company, Lahore Electric Supply Company, Gujranwala Electric Power Company, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company and Multan Electric Power Company achieved 100 percent recoveries in fiscal year 2025-26.

To curb electricity theft, improve recoveries and better resolve technical issues, DISCO Support Units had already been established in the Hyderabad, Sukkur, Lahore, Multan and Hazara electric supply companies, the meeting was told.

The officials also apprised the prime minister that the first phase of installing an Asset Performance Management System (APMS) at the transformer level would be completed by September 30, noting that transformers integrated with the APMS would help reduce both electricity theft and load-shedding.

The meeting was further informed that a plan to install 16.2 million single-phase Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters in the Multan, Lahore, Peshawar, Hazara and Quetta regions was under consideration.

Overseas Pakistanis

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday briefed the prime minister on enhancing services at Pakistani embassies for overseas Pakistanis, digitizing the document attestation process, simplifying the complaints mechanism, and introducing digital systems for carrying out various tasks and payments in Pakistan from abroad.

During the meeting chaired by the prime minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan's ambassadors posted in various countries, the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Ministry of Information Technology, and other senior officials briefed him on the progress made.

The prime minister said that overseas Pakistanis were the valuable assets, and providing them with every possible facility was the government's highest priority.

The briefing informed the prime minister that, for the convenience of overseas Pakistanis, a QR code had already been introduced to simplify the processes of Power of Attorney, property purchase and sale, and document attestation.

The prime minister welcomed the digitization of the complaints registration system through the QR code and directed that it should be displayed prominently at Pakistani embassies to improve public access.