MEPCO Helpline 118 Update: Complaint Review September 2026

Electricity complaint handling came under fresh government scrutiny on 3 September 2026, when Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari reviewed the performance of Helpline 118 and Pakistan’s electricity distribution companies.

The review matters to MEPCO consumers because MEPCO is one of the DISCOs whose complaint-handling performance falls under this monitoring system.

One point needs to be clear from the start: Helpline 118 itself is not new. The September 3 development is the government’s latest performance review, with new August 2026 complaint data and tighter directions on timely resolution and accountability.

What the September 3 Review Found

According to the Government of Pakistan’s Press Information Department, around 1.64 million electricity complaints were registered through Helpline 118 during August 2026.

The reported performance was:

These are combined figures for the DISCO system reviewed by the government, not MEPCO’s individual August performance.

The official release did not publish a separate August complaint count or resolution percentage for MEPCO. Presenting the 99.18% figure as a MEPCO-specific rate would therefore be inaccurate.

Helpline 118 Complaints Can Be Tracked and Escalated

The government review also restated several functions of Helpline 118 that matter when a consumer has an unresolved electricity issue.

Consumers can register electricity-related complaints directly, without going through an intermediary. The service supports complaints in seven languages, allows consumers to follow complaint progress and provides feedback after resolution.

More importantly, the system is designed so that a complaint that remains unresolved beyond its prescribed timeframe is automatically escalated to the relevant level for further action.

The PID release does not name the seven supported languages, so consumers should not rely on unofficial lists claiming to identify them unless those details are confirmed by the responsible authority.

Outages, Line Faults and Voltage Problems Made Up 77% of Complaints

The government gave particular attention to three complaint categories:

• power outages;
• line faults;
• voltage issues.

Together, these accounted for around 77% of all complaints reviewed for August.

That figure helps explain why the meeting focused heavily on timely handling of supply-related faults. These are not minor administrative queries; they can leave homes and businesses without electricity or expose consumers to unstable voltage.

The minister directed DISCO management to improve the speed at which such complaints are addressed.

Again, the 77% figure represents the overall complaint data discussed in the federal review. It should not be described as the percentage of MEPCO complaints unless MEPCO publishes separate supporting data.

NEPRA Timelines Are Now a Clear Performance Measure

A major part of the review was not simply whether complaints were eventually closed, but whether they were resolved within the required time.

Awais Leghari directed distribution companies to comply strictly with the complaint-resolution timelines prescribed by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).

That distinction matters.

A complaint marked “resolved” after an excessive delay does not demonstrate the same service performance as one handled within the required period. The August data reflects this by separating complaints resolved within the prescribed timeframe from those completed late.

This also explains why the government is placing more attention on delayed cases rather than relying only on a headline resolution percentage.

DISCO Officials Face Greater Accountability for Delayed Complaints

Chief executive officers of all DISCOs were told to keep complaint-resolution performance under continuous review and take action where officials fail to deal with complaints within the prescribed period.

The meeting also gave one specific example from QESCO, whose chief executive reported that show-cause notices had been issued to 38 SDOs over negligence in timely complaint resolution.

Those notices were linked to QESCO, not MEPCO.

The example is relevant because it shows the direction of the federal policy: complaint statistics are increasingly being tied to responsibility at DISCO and field-office level.

The Power Division will also consider further measures to strengthen monitoring and accountability across distribution companies.

What This Means for MEPCO Consumers

For MEPCO users, the September 3 announcement does not introduce a new complaint number or replace the existing complaint system.

Its importance lies elsewhere.

Complaint handling through Helpline 118 is being measured at federal level, delayed cases are being separated from timely resolutions, unresolved complaints can move upward through automatic escalation, and DISCO management has been told to hold responsible officials accountable.

That makes the status and timing of a complaint more important than simply recording that one was submitted.

Consumers dealing with an electricity fault should therefore keep their complaint record or tracking details until the issue is actually resolved. Existing MEPCO and PITC complaint channels remain the appropriate route for filing and following a case.

Also Read: MEPCO Reconnection After Disconnection Guide

Source and Accuracy Note

This update is based on PR No. 39 issued by the Press Information Department, Government of Pakistan, on 3 September 2026, covering the federal review of Helpline 118 Customer Care Service.

The figures of 1.64 million complaints, 99.18% resolution, 94.95% timely resolution and the 77% share for outages, line faults and voltage problems are nationwide DISCO/Helpline 118 figures reported for August 2026. They are not MEPCO-specific statistics.