No load-shedding for industries, Leghari spox says, as households face persistent power cuts

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani industries will now be provided with a 24-hour, uninterrupted power supply, for the first time, in Ramazan, a spokesperson for the minister of power said on Saturday.

As the country 'overproduces' electricity, industries will be given uninterrupted power throughout the day as per the directive of Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, the federal minister for power division.

Leghari ordered that 337 megawatts (MW) of the electricity be routed to the country's industries, the spokesperson said.

The minister's spokesperson also went on to say that for the household consumers, power was being supplied without any interruptions whatsoever from iftar to sehri.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Leghari had said that Pakistan's transmission system had returned to normalcy after a major power breakdown plunged the nation's north and north-east — particularly most of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — into darkness.

He had reasoned that the breakdown resulted from a fault in power transmission line and not a shortfall.

"The [transmission] system returned to normal since 5:13 PM," the minister said, adding that Wednesday's situation did not affect power supply in Karachi.

Leghari further said the demand and supply of electricity were being controlled as per schedule since December 4, last year.

Just a couple of days later, Federal Secretary of Power Division Yousuf Naseem Khokhar took a leave from office as relations between him and Leghari, according to sources, had become 'strained' over responsibility for the power breakdown.

Last month, while responding to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah's suggestion for all political parties to stage a sit-in in Islamabad over prevailing power woes in Sindh, particularly Karachi, Leghari had said the former should first stop electricity theft in Sukkur and Hyderabad.

Leghari, in his statement, had said the issue could not be solved until the K-Electric clears outstanding dues worth Rs 70-80 billion to the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

Meanwhile, multiple areas across Karachi continue to face power cuts intermittently.

K-Electric, the metropolis' sole supplier of electricity, said Saturday it would try its best not to carry out load-shedding during sehri and iftar timings, adding that people should not label technical faults as load-shedding.

The contrast was roasted to a crisp with the sweltering heatwave that is likely to extend its unwelcome stay by a few more days in the city and elsewhere in Sindh, an official at the country's weather monitoring authority said.

The heatwave will peak between Monday and Wednesday, which means that the temperatures are expected to drastically shoot up in these three days — forecast says Karachi and interior areas of Sindh are to experience 44°C and 50°C, respectively — Dr Ghulam Rasool, the director-general at the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), said.