The Power Division has successfully recovered over Rs1.50 billion in a nationwide crackdown on power theft conducted from March 24 to 31, bringing the total recoveries to Rs84 billion. This initiative was launched by the caretaker government and military leadership in September to curb losses in the power sector.
Since September 1, over 62,000 individuals have been apprehended in connection with power theft across the country. Notably, Rs1.05 billion was recovered from power thieves in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, and Islamabad during the specified period, while an additional Rs0.599 billion was retrieved from Peshawar, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Quetta, and other regions.
A significant milestone was achieved on October 18 when Mardan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), was declared loadshedding-free under the “Zero-Theft, Zero-Loadshedding” initiative introduced by the Power Division. Mardan, which had been experiencing power outages for more than six hours daily, became Pakistan’s inaugural power theft-free city.
Secretary of the Power Division, Rashid Langrial, launched “The Mardan Model” in Islamabad, marking the end of loadshedding in the city as power theft was eradicated and recovery rates improved. This accomplishment highlights Mardan as a beacon of success in the fight against power pilferage, setting an example for other regions to follow suit.