Bogus 'free electricity' claims surface in Pakistan
"Breaking news: During Ramadan electricity bill will be free in Punjab for a month," reads an Urdu-language Facebook post published on February 21, 2025 before Ramadan began.
Similar posts were shared elsewhere on Facebook which prompted comments that indicate people believed the claim.
"What sin have the other provinces committed?" one wrote in response while another said: "Only Punjab gets access to such things."
Naeem Rauf, the energy secretary for Punjab, told AFP the local government had not announced any free electricity campaign for the month of Ramadan which began in late February and ended late March (archived link).
"There was no such plan, and there are currently no plans to provide free electricity for future Ramadans," Rauf said on April 14.
Social media accounts and websites of the federal and provincial energy departments did not mention power subsidies during this year's Ramadan (archived here, here, here and here).
On February 24, local media reported that Energy Minister Awais Leghari guaranteed an uninterrupted supply of power for the opening and closing hours of fasts. He made no mention on "free electricity" during the holy month (archived link).
An AFP journalist in Lahore, Punjab's capital city, interviewed a resident who also refuted the claims.
"For the March bill, I paid 7,806 Pakistani rupees (27 dollars)," said a 27-year-old video editor who identified himself as Osama.
Local media Geo TV had previously debunked similar claims (archived link).
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