Fact-check: No evidence Awais Leghari called for higher gas prices

Pakistani social media is awash with a graphic attributing comments to Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, in which he allegedly calls for gas prices to be increased so that people use electricity instead.

The claim is false.

Claim

On September 6, a graphic appeared on X (Twitter) allegedly quoting Leghari as saying: “Gas should be made more expensive so that the public uses electricity instead of gas.”

The same graphic was also shared here, here, and here.

Fact

The minister has refuted the statement attributed to him, and there is no documentary evidence that he made such a statement.

Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari also told Geo Fact Check over the phone that the claims circulating online were “fake”. While Zafar Yab Khan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy, also dismissed the graphic as “fake” in a post on his X account.

Furthermore, a review of Leghari’s official X account from August 1 to September 14 found no such comments.

Geo Fact Check also reviewed Leghari’s press conference on August 31 and his appearance on Geo News’ Capital Talk on September 2. He did not make any such statement during either appearance.

Neither has any credible Pakistani news outlet reported any such remarks by Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari.

Verdict: There is no evidence that Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari called for gas prices to be increased to encourage the public to use electricity instead.

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