Pakistan power companies have not introduced additional peak charges

Published on July 21, 2025 at 08:49
2 min read
By Masroor GILANI, AFP Pakistan

Pakistan authorities have rejected claims circulating online that its power companies are charging more for electricity during morning peak hours, calling the posts "actionable disinformation". There is still only one peak hour period in the evening throughout the country.

"Morning hours are also counted as peak hours ... Loot with both hands, loot the public," reads an Urdu-language post on X on July 12, 2025.

It includes a screenshot of a table titled "Regional Peak Hours by Distribution Company" listing peak hour periods in the morning and evening from different Pakistan power companies.

Screenshot of the false X post taken on July 15, 2025 with a red X added by AFP

The same table was also shared elsewhere on Facebook and TikTok.

Soaring fuel costs globally, coupled with demands from the International Monetary Fund to slash government subsidies, led successive Pakistani administrations to repeatedly hike electricity costs (archived link).

Prices have fluctuated since 2022 but peaked at a 155-percent increase, and power bills sometimes outweigh rents.

However, the country's power companies have not introduced additional peak hour charges for the morning.

A reverse image search found the Ministry of Energy rejected the claim by reposting one such false post on X (archived link).

"There is no change in electricity peak hours. Claims about the inclusion of morning hours as peak hours are completely false and misleading. Peak hours remain the same as before," it reads.

"This is fake news and actionable disinformation."

Screenshot of the Pakistan Ministry of Energy's response to the false claims on X, taken July 21, 2025

Most of Pakistan's power companies share the same evening peak hour charging schedule as the state-owned Power Information Technology Company, as shown in a timetable posted on its official website (archived link).

A screenshot taken on July 18, 2025 of the official timetable of peak hour electricity tariff

Meanwhile, the privately owned Karachi Electric charges extra for power usage between 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm from April to October, and between 6 pm to 10 pm for the remaining five months of the year (archived link).

Neither company has announced an additional peak charge in the morning.

Pakistani outlet Geo News also debunked the false claim (archived link).

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