Pakistan to End State Monopoly on Power Purchasing: Leghari

News Desk
ISLAMABAD: In a major policy shift aimed at restructuring the country’s power sector, Federal Minister for Energy Awais Leghari announced on Sunday that the government will relinquish its role as the sole electricity purchaser, allowing ordinary consumers to buy power directly from suppliers of their choice.
Addressing a media briefing in the federal capital, Leghari outlined the transformative transition toward a competitive energy market.
He emphasized that the decades-old model where the state acts as the exclusive intermediary between power producers and consumers is being dismantled to foster market-driven efficiency and transparency.
The reform is expected to dismantle bureaucratic bottlenecks and introduce consumer choice in a sector long plagued by circular debt and high tariffs.
By opening up the grid to direct transactions, the government aims to encourage private sector competition, potentially driving down electricity prices and improving service delivery for both industrial and domestic users across the country.
Ministry officials are currently finalizing the regulatory framework required to operationalize the competitive trading arrangement.
The comprehensive modalities and timelines for the rollout of the open-market system will be presented to the federal cabinet for formal approval in the coming weeks.