Pakistan has witnessed several cases of solar panel theft from public and private properties, highlighting chronic security failures, poor law enforcement, and a flourishing black market. Notably, schools appear to have been most vulnerable to solar panel theft, even as a national cricket player was targeted by the robbers. Many of the 10,000 public schools in the prosperous province of Punjab reported theft of solar panels this year.
Solar panels worth PKR 6.5 million were stolen from 50 government schools in Rajanpur district during the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to a recent audit report tabled in the Punjab Provincial Assembly. The audit criticised the local education authorities for failing to protect the solar panels. The negligence and weak enforcement proved detrimental to the plan to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply to schools in areas where transmission lines had not yet been installed.
Expressing concerns over the lack of security arrangements, Tanveer Aslam, a member of the Punjab Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, demanded an investigation and clarification on whether any stolen solar panels were recovered. However, no progress was reported even after FIRs were registered, as different government agencies deflected responsibility onto each other. Two years ago, solar panels worth millions were recovered in a raid from the house of the former legislator, Mujahid Khan.
In 2021, 18 cases of solar panel stealing from schools were reported as Punjab province witnessed the theft of 190 PV modules, 116 batteries, and 98 inverters. Police failed to contain the robbers and the black market, even though 117 FIRs were lodged between January 2020 and November 2021. Instead, schools were blamed for failing to protect the solar panels. “Due to unavailability of security guards at schools, at least 174 cases related to theft of solar panels have been reported from the schools of South Punjab,” said an official from the power department.
All this caused huge inconvenience to the students, as now they were forced to study without power. “A spate of thefts robbing more than 200 government schools of solar power units has left thousands of school-going children without access to electricity in the Punjab province,” said research student Fiza Ashraf. Muhammad Shahid, the headmaster of a Government Primary School, said no arrests were made even though three accused were identified. “After my application, I received a call from the Deputy Superintendent of Police’s office. The official assured me that the solar system would soon be recovered and all the accused would be apprehended. But nothing happened,” he said.
Notably, a headmaster from Sindh province was beaten by thieves after he reported the robbery of solar panels from the school. Wazir Hussain Rind, the headmaster, was tortured physically even as the thieves recorded the act on their phone. Rind was threatened to leave the school and village; failing to do so, he would be killed. There has been hardly any action from security agencies to prevent thefts and rein in robbers.
Poor law enforcement appears to have emboldened thieves, making them audacious and fearless. The solar panel installed at the farmhouse owned by national cricket players Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal’s father were stolen in broad daylight. “Installed yesterday, stolen today,” said Akmal’s father. Top police official directed investigations to catch the thieves as early as possible. However, as of the latest reports, no arrests have been made, and the suspects remain at large.
