PESCO Reports Rs193.4B Loss from Theft in KP

Peshawar, June 21, 2025 — Electricity theft and technical inefficiencies have ravaged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s provincial exchequer, inflicting a staggering Rs193.4 billion loss over the past 11 months of FY 2024-25, per a Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) report. The province bleeds Rs17.5 billion monthly, or Rs583 million daily, from system losses and theft, spotlighting a crippling crisis. Bannu district leads with a shocking 73.86% loss, translating to Rs11.74 billion, while Tank (66.19%), Karak (65.24%), and Charsadda also suffer severe losses. Peshawar, despite a lower percentage, tops financial losses at Rs51.44 billion.

Other high-loss districts include DI Khan (57.94%, Rs12.31 billion), Mardan (44.92%, Rs16.88 billion), and Nowshera (38.93%, Rs13.27 billion), while Battagram (13.51%) and Haripur (11.22%) report the lowest losses. PESCO officials blame political interference, uncooperative local authorities, and outdated infrastructure, with a senior officer lamenting, “We cannot control what we can’t police,” underscoring the daunting challenge of curbing widespread theft.

Web context reveals chronic power theft in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (e.g., prior Rs125 billion loss over two years), while posts found on X show public frustration—some demand stricter action, others question government accountability. Critically, the narrative of “infrastructure woes” may downplay systemic corruption—web data hints at persistent inefficiencies, and X sentiment suggests distrust in official efforts, pointing to deep-rooted issues