Govt abolishes free electricity units facility for power sector employees

The federal government has abolished the free electricity units facility for power sector employees, according to Radio Pakistan. In a post on X, Power Minister Awais Leghari said for the first time in the country's history, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, free units for power sector staff have been ended. He added that Lahore High Court accepted the Power Division's petition. Leghari further said ending free units was the public’s oldest and long-standing demand. The minister maintained that government will take every step necessary for the collective betterment of the country. الحمداللہ پاکستان کی تاریخ میں پہلی بار وزیراعظم شہبار شریف کی قیادت میں پاور سیکٹر کے اہلکاروں کے فری یونٹس ختم ، معزز عدالت نے بھی ہماری عرضی کو قبول فرمایا، یہ عوام کا سب سے پرانا اور دیرینہ مطالبہ تھا جس کو پورا کرنے کا اعزاز اللہ تعالی نے ہمیں عطا فرمایا۔ انشاءاللہ ہر وہ… pic.twitter.com/06hPtqDbzq — Awais Leghari (@akleghari) April 17, 2026 A day ago, Leghari had apologised to the nation for the widespread outages and load-shedding across the country, saying the crisis was caused by disruptions in LNG supplies due to the Middle East situation and other factors, adding that conditions would improve once supply lines reopened. The country is currently facing a worsening electricity crisis, with the overall power shortfall reaching 6,500 megawatts (MW), leading to prolonged load-shedding in several regions and mounting public frustration. According to sources, total electricity demand has surged to around 22,000MW, while generation remains limited to 15,400MW. The current energy mix comprises 1,500MW from hydropower, 9,250MW from thermal sources, 1,200MW from wind,