24 Pakistanis held over unpaid electricity bills

Islamabad: At least two dozen people in Pakistan have been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for not paying electricity bills, an official said. The bill defaulters` cases are being tried in courts, the Dawn reported. "Most of the arrested people belong to Punjab," NAB spokesman Ramzan Sajid said.

He said the amount unpaid by the defaulters exceeds Rs.425 million. The daily said around Rs.77 billion is still to be paid by over 63,000 defaulters. Because of non-recovery of dues, the debt of the electricity distribution companies has risen alarmingly, resulting in significant burden on public exchequer, adversely affecting national economy and daily life of people, the official said. IANS