Federal Government Introduces Revolutionary Power Complaint System
The federal government has taken a groundbreaking step toward transforming Pakistan's power sector by launching an upgraded nationwide complaints helpline. The new system, inaugurated by Federal Power Minister Awais Leghari on Friday in Islamabad, aims to eliminate political influence, expose inefficiencies, and ensure real-time accountability of power distribution companies.
How the New Helpline Works
Electricity consumers across Pakistan can now register complaints free of cost through the centralized 118 helpline. The innovative digital system allows direct complaint lodging without relying on political connections or intermediaries. Each complaint becomes trackable and must be resolved within defined timelines, with verification conducted through robotic feedback calls to consumers.
If a complaint remains unresolved, the system automatically reactivates it, ensuring no grievance gets buried. The minister emphasized that consumers can register complaints in seven different languages, making the service accessible to people from all regions of Pakistan.
Transparency and Accountability Measures
Minister Leghari declared this initiative as a crucial step toward transparency in the power sector. "This system will expose our weaknesses, but without exposing ourselves there can be no accountability," he stated during the inauguration ceremony. For the first time in Pakistan's history, complaints will be formally logged, monitored, and audited through a single national platform.
The new system will digitally capture and analyze performance data from all power distribution companies (DISCOs). Well-performing utilities and staff will receive formal rewards, while those demonstrating poor performance will face consequences. The minister announced that this would be the "year of customer care" and urged chief executives of all power companies to ensure the system's success.
Leghari credited Prime Minister's backing for pushing through these politically sensitive reforms and confirmed that the helpline would eventually impact every electricity consumer in the country. He described the 118 helpline as a breakthrough for crisis resolution that would introduce self-accountability across all tiers of the electricity supply chain, from field staff to top management.
"Every incompetence will now surface, and we will have to take responsibility for it," the Power Minister concluded, setting a new standard for public service delivery in Pakistan's energy sector.
