IHC mandates PESCO to cover medical and prosthetic expenses for a girl who has lost both hands.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed a petition moved by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and upheld the president’s order under which the company had been directed to bear the treatment as well as the advanced prosthetic and rehabilitation charges of nine-year-old Lubaba who lost both hands because of an electric shock.

In an 11 page written verdict, Justice Azam Khan dismissed PESCO’s plea and upheld the order regarding procedures for treatment and rehabilitation of injured girl.

The court ordered PESCO to conduct a full medical examination of Lubaba at the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM) in Rawalpindi. It ordered the business to pay for all her treatment, high-tech replacement limbs and rehabilitation.

The court further directed that PESCO would also be forced to fund the fees of treatment overseas in case the requisite treatment or prosthetic facilities were not available in Pakistan.

In its written opinion, the court noted that the energy distribution firms had not only a duty to ensure an uninterrupted power supply but also to preserve human lives and meet safety criteria.

Deputy Attorney General Raja Zameeruddin appeared for the federal government in the case.

Lubaba was badly burned in July 2021 when an 11,000-volt electricity line fell in Pir Qila, a region of Charsadda district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As a consequence of the tragedy she had to have both her hands amputated and is now permanently incapacitated.

Her family turned to the federal ombudsman, demanding compensation and medical treatment. The ombudsman first supported the complaint but subsequently changed his decision on review appeal.

The president ordered PESCO on October 30, 2025, to make arrangements for the therapy and artificial limbs for the girl. Now, the Islamabad High Court has reiterated that decision.