Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Calls Urgent Meeting on Power Outages

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Calls Urgent Meeting on Power Outages/Dawn

Sabiha Rajpoot | May 28, 2024 | 10:36 AM IST | Pakistan News, World | Follow on Google News

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Calls Urgent Meeting on Power Outages

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Calls Urgent Meeting on Power Outages

Key Highlights:

1. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to address widespread power outages.
2. Power division to provide a comprehensive briefing on load-shedding.
3. Protests erupt in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over prolonged outages.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will hold an urgent meeting today at 12 noon to address the severe power outages affecting various regions, reported ARY News. This follows numerous complaints regarding load-shedding across the country. During the meeting, the power division will brief the Prime Minister on the current situation and discuss potential solutions. Significant directives to resolve the issue are expected.

The rising temperatures and prolonged power outages have made life difficult for residents in different areas, particularly in Karachi. A resident mentioned that the electricity provider, K-Electric, cut off power because several households in the neighborhood failed to pay their monthly bills. This situation led to residents in Karachi’s Manghopir area organizing a sit-in protest against the load-shedding. The protestors set up a camp at the electric grid station, with many residents joining in.

Despite several rounds of negotiations between the protesters and the police, no resolution has been reached. Last week, K-Electric issued a stern warning to cut off power supply to Sindh government departments over unpaid dues amounting to billions of rupees. According to sources, the Sindh government and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) have not made any payments to K-Electric since January, leading to a financial crisis for the electricity supplier and difficulties in maintaining the network. The KWSB alone owes K-Electric 5 billion rupees.

In another instance, residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa restored electricity by storming the Hazar Khawani grid station after prolonged load-shedding led to protests in the scorching heat. Protesters entered the grid station after holding a demonstration outside its gate, with heavy police deployment on site to manage the situation.

(Inputs from Dawn)

Sabiha Rajpoot

Sabiha Rajpoot, a young journalist, having BA- Journalism degree, writes on different scenarios. Sabiha is also a doctor degree at DHMS.