ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s power regulator Nepra abruptly ended the net metering system for solar power users on Monday and replaced it with a net billing system for all existing and future solar consumers. The aim is to manage rising solar energy use and protect the state-owned power network. On Tuesday, the Senate saw strong protests against this change. PTI Senator Syed Ali Zafar called the move “a grave breach of trust” and “the most cruel act of the government,” saying many people invested in solar based on government promises. “A promise, once made, must be honoured,” Zafar said, adding that families sold assets and took loans to install solar systems. He warned this decision undermines trust and foreign investment. Senator Sherry Rehman from PPP said the decision confused the middle class and asked why incentives for solar power were given if they could be taken away suddenly. She said expensive electricity bills and heavy taxes are forcing industries to leave Pakistan. Senators from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and PTI also criticized the change. However, Power Minister Awais Leghari defended Nepra’s regulation, saying the move follows the law and was needed to ease consumers’ burdens. He said seminars with solar groups happened last year and that the Solar Association agreed this step was necessary to protect the public. Leghari stated no existing contracts have been changed and no retrospective penalties exist. He said solar contracts last seven years, not 20 as claimed. Currently, 466,506 consumers use net metering, adding 7,000 megawatts to the grid. Leghari said if net metering continued, 30 million other electricity users would face a Rs200 billion to Rs550 billion burden. The new regulation applies only to new solar consumers. The minister called it a regulation, not policy, and said such rules evolve over time to balance interests. The debate exposes tension between promoting renewable energy and managing Pakistan’s power costs and infrastructure.