Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) President Junaid Naqi has strongly condemned the discriminatory treatment of Karachi’s electricity consumers and demanded immediate payment of withheld negative Fuel Cost Adjustments (FCA) and the long-overdue Rs. 33 billion incremental subsidy from the COVID-19 period.
Naqi said that despite the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) determination on July 18, 2025, setting K-Electric’s FCA reference rate at Rs. 15.99 per unit, industrial and domestic consumers in Karachi were denied negative FCA relief for May and June 2025. “This is outright injustice,” he said, adding that consumers of other power distribution companies (DISCOs) across the country received these negative adjustments during the same months, while Karachi was deliberately excluded.
President KATI pointed out that in 2023 and early 2024, Karachi consumers paid higher FCA rates compared to the rest of the country. “Now that it is Karachi’s turn to receive relief, the ministry has interfered in a formula-based regulatory process to block it. This is clear institutional discrimination and an attempt to deprive the people of Karachi of their legitimate rights,” he stated.
Naqi further demanded that the Rs. 33 billion incremental subsidy promised during the COVID period be released to Karachi’s industries without delay. He said this subsidy was designed to encourage industries to increase production and energy usage, and manufacturers had fulfilled their commitments in good faith. “The fact that the payment has still not been made is not only unjust but effectively punishes industries for trusting government policy,” he remarked.
Calling upon Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to intervene immediately, Naqi urged decisive action through negotiations with all stakeholders to resolve the crisis. He warned that Karachi’s economy must not be sacrificed to discriminatory policies and bureaucratic hurdles. At the same time, industries and citizens in other cities enjoy the very relief that is being denied to Karachi.
He cautioned that if these demands are not met, the matter will be taken up forcefully at all relevant forums, including business councils, chambers of commerce, and public platforms.
