The revelation that top officials at the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) have drastically increased their salaries and benefits without obtaining the mandatory approval from the federal cabinet should send shockwaves through Pakistan’s bureaucracy. Not only has this institution failed in its core responsibilities—ensuring a stable power supply and maintaining the financial viability of the electricity sector—but its leadership has now engaged in blatant self-enrichment at the expense of the public. The sheer audacity of these salary hikes suggests that those at the top are more concerned with lining their own pockets than serving the people of Pakistan.
Even before this latest scandal, NEPRA’s management positions were already excessively compensated compared to the average Pakistani worker, who struggles to make ends meet on far less than the legally mandated minimum wage. On top of hefty base salaries, officials also enjoy a range of perks, including house rent, utility allowances, and other benefits, bringing their total monthly pay to around Rs. 1 million. Yet, in a shocking and unjustifiable move, NEPRA officials have now approved an almost threefold increase, raising the chairperson’s salary to Rs. 3.25 million and other top officials’ pay to Rs. 3 million per month.
There is no reasonable justification for such an extravagant salary hike, especially given NEPRA’s dismal performance. Worse still, bypassing the federal cabinet’s approval amounts to an act of financial misconduct—effectively defrauding taxpayers and betraying public trust.
These officials must be held accountable. They should be publicly named, dismissed from their positions, and thoroughly investigated. Corruption within the government is rightly condemned, but when such blatant misconduct occurs within the bureaucracy, there is often little action taken. This case is a test of the government’s commitment to accountability—whether it will take firm action against entrenched corruption or allow this abuse of power to continue unchecked.
