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       ISLAMABAD: Mathar Niaz Rana, who was serving as the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) Member for Tariff and Finance, has resigned from his post, months before his term was to expire.

       Sources privy to the development said his resignation — which came under mysterious circumstances — was currently pending PM Shehbaz Sharif’s approval.

       Mr Rana could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

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       A former federal bureaucrat, Mr Rana was appointed member of Nepra on the recommendation of the Balochistan government, where he last served as chief secretary.

       Sources said Mr Rana was not comfortable with external pressure relating to tariff adjustments, including those relating to K-Electric and Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and resigned to avoid signing such decisions.

       Mr Rana, who has also been through health issues in recent months, was known for writing critical dissenting notes on Nepra decisions.

       His last such note came on last week majority decision, whereby Nepra charged hefty fees to consumers for appeals and reviews of regulatory decisions.

       In his note, Mr Rana pointed out that to safeguarde consumer interests through transparency and impartiality, the Nepra Act required the regulator to provide an accessible and affordable mechanism for the public to challenge its decisions. “This promotes public participation and access to justice while maintaining fairness, privacy and the integrity of proceedings”.

       “Procedural technicalities should not exclu--de public participation in matters affecting their rights. Instead, submissions should be evaluated on their merits and dismissed only on substantive grounds, if necessary”, he had argued.

       Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2025