PESHAWAR – A recently released report by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) has laid bare the staggering financial losses faced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to electricity theft and technical inefficiencies — a crisis that continues to deepen.
According to the report, the province has lost approximately Rs193.4 billion over the past 11 months — averaging a massive Rs17.5 billion per month or around Rs583 million every single day.
The district of Bannu emerged as the hardest hit, with system losses reaching an alarming 73.86%, translating into a financial blow of over Rs11.74 billion. Tank and Karak districts followed closely with losses of 66.19% and 65.24% respectively.
Even in the provincial capital Peshawar, where the percentage of losses was relatively lower, the financial damage was the highest — an astonishing Rs51.44 billion.
Other districts haven’t been spared either. DI Khan reported losses of nearly 58% amounting to Rs12.31 billion, while Mardan suffered losses of 44.92% (Rs16.88 billion), and Nowshera reported 38.93% (Rs13.27 billion).
Smaller districts such as Haripur and Battagram, on the other hand, showed significantly lower loss percentages — 11.22% and 13.51% respectively — offering a glimmer of hope that with the right strategy, improvement is possible.
PESCO officials point to a combination of persistent electricity theft, political interference, non-cooperation from local administrations, and a severely outdated infrastructure as the primary causes of this crisis. “We can’t fix what we can’t police,” said a senior PESCO officer, highlighting the helplessness the department faces on the ground.
The report paints a bleak picture of energy governance in the province and serves as a wake-up call for policymakers. Without meaningful reform and support from local bodies, these losses will not only continue but are likely to grow worse.
