Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Emir Monem Zafar Khan has filed a review petition with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to challenge the approval of Rs50 billion plus write-off claims made by K-Electric.
Khan termed Nepra’s June 5 decision “anti-consumer, unlawful and a reward, instead of punishment, for inefficiency and bogus billing”, and requested the regulator to review it.
The petition reads that Nepra’s decision to allow write-offs amounting to over Rs50 billion, allegedly due to electricity thefts and non-recovery losses, lacks any basis in the presented data.
Khan said he had submitted documented evidence during the regulatory proceedings, including 19 forged and fictitious electricity bills valued at over Rs716 million — all traced back to KE’s Nazimabad Integrated Business Centre.
Despite all the undeniable facts and documented proof, Nepra not only accepted KE’s disputed claims but also passed on the financial burden to law-abiding, bill-paying residents, he added.
He said Nepra’s ruling constitutes a clear violation of Regulation 23 of the Nepra Tariff (Standards & Procedure) Rules, 1998, which mandates that all tariff-related claims be based on authentic, auditable and verifiable information. The absence of third-party validation or forensic audit of such massive claims raises serious concerns and doubts about regulatory integrity, he added.
He stressed that Nepra’s June 5 decision contradicts the regulator’s own past practices, wherein utilities were required to produce solid evidence before write-offs were approved.
By approving Rs50 billion without independent verification, Nepra has allegedly enabled KE to enjoy a dual benefit, through both clawbacks and write-offs, at the expense of consumers in Karachi, he noted.
He also criticised Nepra for ignoring detailed written objections, documentary evidence and arguments submitted by numerous stakeholders, including the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the SITE Association of Industry, the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, large steel producers, the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry, industrial consumers, trade bodies and the civil society.
He pointed out that despite such widespread opposition, the decision was made and announced abruptly on June 5, just a day before the Eidul Azha holidays, effectively limiting public response and legal recourse. He termed this “an affront to transparency, regulatory accountability and natural justice”.
He demanded that Nepra suspend the June 5 decision, commission an independent forensic audit of all write-off claims, protect paying consumers from bearing the cost of inefficiencies and thefts, initiate a regulatory inquiry into KE’s billing practices, and hold a fresh public hearing.
