Save Our Pak
Islamabad (22 July 2025): The government has decided to end the category of protected users, which means people using up to 200 units of electricity will soon lose the relief they were getting, as Reported By Save Our Pak News Channel on Tuesday.
This was discussed in a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting, chaired by Junaid Akbar Khan. During the meeting, Secretary Power Division, Dr. Fakhar Alam Irfan, said the government plans to end the protected user category by 2027.
He explained that in about one and a half years, the 200-unit benefit will be gone. Right now, the number of protected users has increased from 11 million to 18 million. Around 58% of electricity users in the country use 200 units or less.
Dr. Fakhar Alam Irfan also said that the government is reducing subsidies on electricity step by step. By 2027, the subsidy on electricity will end completely. At present, users of 200 units get the most subsidy, which is around 60 to 70 percent.
He added that every policy is first approved by the IMF before it goes to the federal cabinet for final approval.
The secretary said that Pakistan currently has extra electricity, and there are two plans being discussed. The first is to give this extra electricity to industries at discounted rates. The second is to provide cheap electricity to new industries to help them grow.
According to the Power Division secretary, the World Bank has praised this idea. Talks with the IMF are still going on about these proposals, but no approval has been given yet.
