Pakistan’s authorities has not supplied free electrical energy for residents of its most populous province throughout the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, opposite to claims extensively shared on social media. An vitality official refuted the rumours whereas a Punjab resident individually informed AFP he was charged for his energy utilization in March.
“Breaking information: Throughout Ramadan electrical energy invoice will likely be free in Punjab for a month,” reads an Urdu-language Facebook post printed on February 21, 2025 earlier than Ramadan started.
Screenshot of the false Fb submit, captured on April 18, 2025
Comparable posts had been shared elsewhere on Facebook which prompted feedback that point out folks believed the declare.
“What sin have the opposite provinces dedicated?” one wrote in response whereas one other stated: “Solely Punjab will get entry to such issues.”
Naeem Rauf, the vitality secretary for Punjab, informed AFP the native authorities had not introduced any free electrical energy marketing campaign for the month of Ramadan which started in late February and ended late March (archived link).
“There was no such plan, and there are presently no plans to supply free electrical energy for future Ramadans,” Rauf stated on April 14.
Social media accounts and web sites of the federal and provincial vitality departments didn’t point out energy subsidies throughout this 12 months’s Ramadan (archived here, here, here and here).
On February 24, native media reported that Vitality Minister Awais Leghari assured an uninterrupted supply of energy for the opening and shutting hours of fasts. He made no point out on “free electrical energy” throughout the holy month (archived link).
An AFP journalist in Lahore, Punjab’s capital metropolis, interviewed a resident who additionally refuted the claims.
“For the March invoice, I paid 7,806 Pakistani rupees (27 {dollars}),” stated a 27-year-old video editor who recognized himself as Osama.
Native media Geo TV had beforehand debunked comparable claims (archived link).
