Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to take strict action against power pilferers.

The directions came during a high-level review meeting on reform measures in the power sector.

The premier also called for a comprehensive strategy to meet future energy needs through renewable sources.

Chairing the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister emphasised that increased electricity generation from hydropower, solar energy, biogas and other renewable resources would help reduce production costs and positively impact economic growth.

He also called for expediting steps to reduce reliance on imported fuels, a statement said.

The prime minister directed that no leniency be shown towards individuals involved in electricity theft.

He further ordered strict departmental action against power distribution companies found violating the Economic Merit Order in recent days.

He instructed officials to accelerate the implementation of smart meter installation on transformers in areas with high electricity theft and to fast-track measures for promoting a competitive electricity market in the country.

The prime minister also directed authorities to expedite work on supplying 400 megawatts of electricity to the private sector in the first phase under the wheeling regime.

During the briefing, participants were informed that electricity theft, non-payment, and other losses in distribution companies had significantly decreased due to effective measures compared to last year.

It was noted that transmission and distribution losses declined from 18.3 per cent in June 2024 to 15.3 percent in March 2026.

Similarly, recovery of electricity bills improved from 90 per cent in June 2024 to 96.46 percent in March 2026.

The meeting was further informed that work was underway to involve the private sector in three distribution companies, with the bidding process expected to be completed by November this year.

Officials also highlighted that smart meters had already been installed on 2,500 loss-making feeders across the country.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Leghari, Adviser on Privatisation Muhammad Ali, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani and senior officials from relevant institutions.