EDITORIAL: The recent incidents of alleged electricity theft and attacks on Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) officials in Lahore and Kasur highlight an unpleasant reality: law-abiding electricity consumers are being made to pay for the dishonesty of others. In Lahore, police arrested a man and recovered a pistol following an altercation at a Lesco office after an inspection team detected electricity theft through an illegal direct connection at the premises of a defaulting consumer.
In Kasur, according to a company spokesperson, a Lesco team inspecting discrepancies between a meter number and its recorded reading was allegedly assaulted at gunpoint by the consumer and five armed men, held hostage and threatened with dire consequences.
At a time when exorbitant electricity bills, rising tariffs and various surcharges have made household budgets increasingly unsustainable, power theft is not merely an offence against a utility company; it is an injustice against every honest consumer. Theft through bogus meters, illegal direct connections and other fraudulent means deprives distribution companies of legitimate revenue. These losses, compounded by operational inefficiencies and other systemic shortcomings, add to the financial burden borne by paying consumers. Those who regularly settle their bills are entitled to ask why they must pay so much for electricity while others illegally consume it at their expense.
Even more alarming is the alleged use of firearms, threats and violence to obstruct anti-theft operations. Lesco inspection and recovery teams must be provided with adequate security, including police escorts where necessary, to enable them to perform their duties without fear. No individual has the right to assault public servants, hold them hostage or threaten their lives to conceal an illegal activity. Such conduct must invite strict legal consequences, regardless of the offender’s social status, influence or connections.
The authorities must respond firmly but fairly. Police should investigate these incidents impartially, ensure the safety of electricity inspection and recovery teams, and bring those found guilty to justice. Lesco and other power distribution companies must strengthen monitoring, improve metering systems, conduct transparent inspections and pursue cases of electricity theft without discrimination. Equally important, allegations must be supported by credible evidence, and every accused person must be afforded due process.
However, enforcement alone will not resolve the problem. The government and power distribution companies must address institutional inefficiencies, improve governance, curb corruption and ensure that the financial consequences of electricity theft and other avoidable losses are not indiscriminately passed on to honest consumers. Greater transparency in reporting detected theft, recoveries made and action taken against influential defaulters would help restore public confidence and demonstrate that the law applies equally to all.
Because electricity theft is not a victimless offence, those who steal must be held accountable to ensure that honest consumers are no longer compelled to subsidise their dishonesty.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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