Multi-stakeholder Meeting on Electricity Access & Clean Energy Transition in Karachi
The Knowledge Forum (TKF) organised a high-level multi-stakeholder meeting titled “Electricity Access & Clean Energy Transition in Karachi” at the Marriott Hotel on May 22, 2025.
The event brought together parliamentarians, business leaders, civil society activists, energy experts, and academics to demand accountability from K-Electric (KE) and push for urgent reforms to ensure reliable and affordable electricity for all residents.
Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub and home to over 35 million people, continues to face a severe electricity crisis, characterised by prolonged load shedding, overbilling, and a lack of affordable energy solutions. During the discussion, participants strongly criticised KE for its failure to meet the city’s growing energy needs and its practice of implementing extended power outages in low bill recovery areas. Speakers highlighted how these unfair policies punish honest consumers while enabling influential groups to benefit from systemic loopholes through illicit connections. Rising summer temperatures and poorly ventilated housing structures have worsened the impact of these outages, making the situation unbearable for low- and middle-income communities.
Business leaders, including representatives from the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), revealed that many industries are turning to solar power to cope with unreliable electricity supply, with approximately 2,500 MW already generated through solar installations across Karachi. However, stakeholders stressed that while rooftop solar is a promising solution, it cannot fully replace the grid due to challenges in informal settlements and limited structural capacity for solar infrastructure.
Lawmakers, such as MQM MPA Muhammad Daniyal, condemned KE’s lack of investment in renewable energy and called for ending its monopoly, even suggesting that the government buy back K-Electric or introduce competing companies to create a fair, competitive power market.
Civil society representatives, including the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) and the Urban Resource Centre, highlighted the devastating social consequences of the electricity crisis. Families in low-income areas are being forced to sell their homes to pay inflated bills, while many workers return home after long shifts to find no electricity, severely impacting their quality of life.
Experts emphasized the need for clean energy transition, greater public participation in energy planning, and the introduction of climate-friendly policies. Participants called on the government to accelerate renewable energy integration, improve grid infrastructure, and expand social protection programs, including subsidies and free solar home systems for vulnerable communities.
In her opening remarks, TKF Director Zeenia Shaukat stated that energy access is a constitutional right and a key part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She noted that the growing shift toward rooftop solar reflects how citizens and industries are taking control of their own energy futures due to systemic failures by electricity providers.
The event concluded with a unified demand for sustainable, affordable, and equitable energy solutions for Karachi, underscoring the urgent need to resolve the city’s chronic electricity crisis to secure its economic and social future.
