Load-shedding continues in Ramazan despite PM's orders

KARACHI: Major cities in Pakistan plunged into darkness due to load-shedding on the first day of Ramazan on Friday, despite the prime minister's orders for no load-shedding during Sehri and Iftar in the holy month.

Although Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday said no load-shedding would take place during Sehri and Iftar hours, major areas of Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and others cities witnessed load shedding during the first Sehri of Ramazan.

Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Federal B. Area, Sakhi, Hasan, Shah Faisal Colony, Jail Road and Malir were the most affected areas in Karachi.

Swabi faced one of the worst power outages, where electricity supply was discontinued on Thursday 3:00PM and did not resume until after Sehri this morning.

Areas which faced power outages included Charsadda, Multan, Lower Dir, Hafizabad, Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Larkana, and other areas.

People came out on the roads in different parts of the country in protest against power outage in the sweltering summer heat.

Among the places where protests took place were Swabi, Charsadda, Multan, Lower Dir, Hafizabad, and Hyderabad.

Taking notice of the protests, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered authorities to ensure that load-shedding does not take place during Sehri and Iftar timings. The prime minister has also ordered the Water and Power Ministry to submit a reply on the load-shedding despite his earlier orders.

On Thursday, PM Sharif had ordered that no load-shedding be carried out an hour before Sehri and until 30 minutes after start of fasting. Similarly, he had instructed the Water and Power Ministry to ensure that load-shedding does not take place from 4:30PM to 10:00PM in the evening to guarantee that citizens do not have to suffer from power outage in the summer heat at Iftar.