KASUR: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan blasted the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) over alleged corrupt practices and exploitation of consumers.

He was speaking at a gathering at the Islampura locality of Allahabad in Chunian on Wednesday.

Earlier, six villagers of the area were booked for torturing a Lesco official during a crackdown on defaulters and power theft. Later, Lesco disconnected power supply to the residences of the five accused in the FIR.

Speaking to the gathering, the speaker claimed that the injured Lesco official had taken Rs150,000 from a resident, nominated in the FIR, for removing high tension wires from in front of his house. However, the official was reluctant to do the job.

He claimed that a subsequent police inquiry proved the FIR to be fake. He said the accused residents were not even present at the time of the incident, which was proved by the videos presented by both Lesco and the accused. He regretted that Lesco high-ups were glorifying a corrupt official.

He claimed that growing complaints of extortion in the name of transformer repairs, over-billing, delayed replacement of faulty meters and other billing frauds had made the life of consumers a hell.

He alleged that Lesco officials demanded hefty bribes for removing overhead high tension wires, which had taken lives of residents and their livestock as well as damaged properties. He alleged that all Lesco officials, from a lineman to the Lesco chief, were involved in corruption and exploitation of consumers.

Mr Khan said that tall claims by the sitting rulers, including PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif and PM Shehbaz, to end loadshedding were mere slogans as people were still facing up to 18 hours of loadshedding. He vowed to fight against Lesco’s ‘corruption and exploitation’.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026