Pakistan’s power-sector circular debt stood at Rs1.675 trillion on June 30, Energy Minister Awais Leghari told the National Assembly. He said outstanding payments involving K-Electric were a major reason for the increase. The government also gave the house figures on gas supply constraints, lower electricity tariffs and Pakistanis imprisoned abroad.
The sitting resumed after Maghrib prayers. Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah ordered a headcount, and once the quorum was confirmed the house went ahead with its agenda.
Circular debt rises by Rs61 billion in a year
In a written reply to the lower house, the government said the circular debt grew by Rs61 billion during the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2026. It had stood at Rs1.614 trillion a year earlier.
The Power Division had previously linked the annual rise to lower budgetary payments, saying a Rs98 billion shortfall against budgeted funding had contributed. The government also pointed to inefficiencies at distribution companies and Rs194 billion in non-payment by K-Electric as factors feeding the debt.
The government said it had terminated expensive independent power producer (IPP) agreements as part of its efforts to reduce the debt. According to an earlier Power Division statement, the outstanding debt stock excludes K-Electric. The government stressed that the amount accumulated in a single year differs from the total outstanding stock.
Lower tariffs and LNG shortages strain gas supply
The government told parliament that the national average electricity tariff had dropped to Rs45.02 per unit from Rs53.04, a fall of about 15 per cent, and that further policy steps were being considered to lower rates. It was not immediately clear what basis or reference period the Rs45.02 figure used. An earlier government report had put the all-inclusive national average at Rs42.26 per unit by May 2026, compared with Rs53.04 two years before.
On gas, the government said disruption to liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies linked to the conflict in the Middle East had worsened the shortage. Authorities have therefore restricted domestic supply largely to cooking hours. Temporary suspensions of new regasified LNG (RLNG) connections were also imposed, including in Islamabad’s I-16 sector, the parliamentary reply stated.
Pakistan has faced uncertainty over LNG shipments due to disruptions to maritime traffic and supplies from Qatar. A cargo from Qatar arrived in mid-October as authorities tried to secure more shipments before winter demand rises. The Petroleum Division has also sought approval for a winter gas plan covering November 2026 to February 2027, which would give domestic consumers priority if supplies fell short.
Pakistanis jailed abroad and Iraq’s pilgrim visa curbs
In a separate written reply, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told parliament that 21,647 Pakistani citizens were held in jails overseas. Of them, 13,078 had been convicted and 8,569 were awaiting trial, according to the figures given to the house.
Saudi Arabia held the largest number, with more than 10,000 Pakistanis reportedly in its prisons. The numbers broadly match a September 2025 briefing to a Senate committee, where officials reported the same overseas total, including more than 13,000 awaiting trial and over 8,000 convicted.
The Foreign Office also told the house that Iraq had barred pilgrims under the age of 50 from travelling alone, citing misuse of pilgrimage visas and illegal stays. Younger male pilgrims on pilgrimage visas must be accompanied by family members, according to guidance issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in June 2026.
The Iraqi measures followed concerns that some travellers had obtained pilgrimage visas but then travelled separately from the relatives named in their applications, or stayed longer than permitted. The ministry also told parliament that more than 10,700 Pakistanis had been deported from Iraq since July 2023. That total was not independently verified.
Islamabad waste collection and CDA plot balloting
The Assembly also discussed garbage disposal between sectors I-10 and I-11 in Islamabad, where piled-up waste has raised concerns about pollution and public health. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the house that about 700 tonnes of waste were being collected daily in the capital, and that the remaining solid waste would be cleared soon.
Chaudhry said a Turkish company was being engaged to manage the city’s solid waste, and that the government was working to improve collection and disposal. He added that residents of expensive properties were failing to pay even a small share toward waste collection and water services. Recovering part of the solid-waste management cost from consumers was also under consideration.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has issued a letter of acceptance to a joint venture involving Atlas Pak Waste Management Company for a four-year collection contract worth around Rs18 billion, covering urban and rural areas. The first phase was planned for rural Islamabad. On housing, the house heard about delays in balloting plots in the C-15 sector, while Chaudhry said about 4,000 plots were being provided to applicants and that plots in I-11 and I-12 had now been allotted after long unavailability. He also claimed plots worth around Rs200 billion had been recovered from illegal occupants in one sector, though the sector and valuation were not independently confirmed.
The National Assembly session was adjourned until 11am on Tuesday.
