MQM challenges NEPRA's decision on K-Electric to include recovery loss into tariff

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan on Monday filed a petition in the Sindh High Court challenging the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) decision that allowed K-Electric (KE) to include unrecovered bills and electricity theft losses in its consumer tariff.

The regulatory body granted K-Electric permission to recover Rs74 billion worth of losses from electricity theft and unpaid bills, which is expected to increase costs for honest consumers.

MQM’s MPA, Muhammad Aamir Siddiqui, speaking to the media, condemned K-Electric’s actions as “racketeering” and “hooliganism.” He described the NEPRA decision as an injustice and a form of collective punishment for Karachi’s residents.

Siddiqui expressed concern that honest consumers, who pay their bills regularly, would now be forced to bear the cost of electricity theft.

He further stated that NEPRA had overstepped its authority, asserting that the regulatory body did not have the right to issue such a verdict. He also pointed out that even the federal government had opposed the NEPRA’s decision.

In the petition, MQM has requested the court to protect the rights of the public. The petition, submitted by MQM leader Aamir Siddiqui, names K-Electric as a respondent and challenges NEPRA’s SRO 1287 (I)/2025.

The petition argues that NEPRA’s order from July 18, 2025, allows K-Electric to recover line losses and costs related to electricity theft from honest consumers, placing an unfair burden on them.

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MQM contends that NEPRA’s decision places the burden of K-Electric’s failures and inefficiencies on consumers. This, according to the petition, will have serious repercussions for Karachi’s residents, businesses, and industrial consumers, potentially crippling the city’s economy and exacerbating pressure on businesses already struggling.

MQM further accused NEPRA of imposing a collective punishment on Karachiites by forcing consumers to bear the costs of electricity theft and line losses. The party argues that NEPRA’s actions go beyond its mandate and amount to an abuse of power.