Electricity bill of Power Minister Awais Leghari's house leaves people fuming

MULTAN – Unprecedentedly high electricity bills have given everyone, from masses to celebrities, a jolt of their lives in Pakistan while the country’s energy minister is using the utility for almost free -- and that's hurting the public.

Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari’s residence falls under the jurisdiction of the Multan Electricity Supply Company’s (Mepco) DG Khan Division. 

A copy of the electricity bill of Leghari, who assumed the post in March 2024, is circulating on social media, showing he has been charged only Rs124 for the month of June 2024.

When the reference number was crosschecked through Mepco online bill system, it was found that the electricity meter is registered in his name and the connection dated back to December 2015.

The bill contains no details of consumed units but a code “RC-010624” is written in the “Status” section of the bill. 

The amount charged to the minister has left the people fuming as they were charged double or even more through the bills although they used only two or three units above the tariff slabs set by the incumbent government.

Recently, senior Pakistani actor Rashid Mehmood expressed deep frustration after he received an electricity bill amounting to Rs45,000, saying he wanted to end his life seeing such a situation in the country he's lived and served all his life.

In a viral video, he said he had been slapped with heavy bill for consuming only 701 units in a month.

He slammed politicians and officials, saying thieves live luxuriously while the common people are facing inflation and high electricity bills.