Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has raised serious concerns about alleged corruption and accountability issues within the power sector after sharing a personal experience involving a transformer repair in a village.
In a social media post, Khawaja Asif said that the transformer in his domestic employee’s village was completely damaged. To help resolve the issue, he contacted a former CEO of the Lahore Electric Supply Company and requested assistance in getting the transformer repaired.
According to Asif, the repair work was completed, but LESCO employees allegedly charged the villagers Rs. 80,000 for the service. He claimed that the villagers collected donations and paid the amount in cash. However, no official receipt was issued for the payment.
The minister expressed concern that despite the payment being made, the absence of a receipt has allowed LESCO to deny receiving the money. He suggested that the situation reflects deeper problems within the system and questioned how ordinary consumers are expected to deal with such issues if even a senior government minister faces difficulties.
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Khawaja Asif further remarked that if such practices can occur despite his involvement and recommendation, the challenges faced by average citizens may be far greater. His comments have sparked discussion on social media about transparency, accountability, and service delivery within public utility organizations.
The allegations have drawn public attention, with many calling for a thorough investigation into the matter and stronger measures to ensure that official payments are properly documented and recorded to protect consumers from potential exploitation.
