PD says no fresh CCI approval needed for DISCO privatisation

Business Recorder reported that the Privatisation Division has held that the Council of Common Interests need not give fresh approval before power distribution companies, known as DISCOs, are sold off. The division relied on earlier rulings by the constitutional body and on the National Electricity Policy to support its stance. It made the case in a written reply to a sub committee of the Senate's Functional Committee on Devolution.

According to the reply, back in 2011 the CCI signed off on selling three generation firms and nine distribution firms. A later CCI approval, dated 21 June 2021, endorsed the National Electricity Policy, which calls on the government to examine privatisation options for state-owned entities. The division said both decisions still stand.

The Law Division, in a letter dated 25 September 2026, re-confirmed that fresh approval is not needed for DISCO privatisation, relying on the 2011 decision. The position arrives while scrutiny continues into whether the federal government can privatise power utilities and what role the CCI plays.