Punjab on top in electricity theft, NA told

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Power Khwaja Asif said Punjab has the highest number of cases of electricity theft, ARY News reported Monday.

He divulged this fact in his written reply to a query during the question hour in the National Assembly today.

The statement of Khwaja Asif, who also holds the portfolio of Defence Ministry, negates the claims of his party colleague and State Minister for Power Abid Sher Ali who accuses all the provinces of huge power theft except Punjab.

Defence minister, in his reply, stated that 90,000 cases of electricity theft were reported in last seven years. Of them, 87,000 were from Punjab, followed by 2096 cases from Khyber Pakhtonkhwa, 813 Sindh, and eight Balochistan.

Overall 5,098 persons involved in electricity theft have been arrested so far, added the minister in his reply.