ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water and Power Khwaja Muhammad Asif on Friday declared the federal government as one of the biggest defaulters of electricity bills and warned consumers of having to tolerate frequent and prolonged load shedding in the hot summer days to come, DawnNews reported.

Addressing media persons in the federal capital city Asif presented stats and figures related to a decrease in the production of electricity.

He added that non-payment of bills and electricity theft was rampant in the country.

The minister for power and water attributed the increase in load shedding to the increase in temperatures and said that electricity would be provided only to those consumers who paid their bills.

Asif said that the federal government was itself one of the biggest defaulters of electricity bills.

He further said that electricity supply to defaulters was disconnected in all provinces and 2,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity would be added in the national grid system in the next two-three months.

The federal power minister said that alot was yet to be done for curbing line losses and electricity theft.