Pakistan: Govt acts after riots, orders end to gas cuts

ISLAMABAD: As violent energy riots raged in various cities and towns, President Asif Ali Zardari here on Friday ordered an immediate end to gas load-shedding for domestic consumers and elimination of circular debt in the power sector that has bulged to Rs400 billion, crippling the power generation system, in six months.

Mr Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani headed a meeting at the presidency to discuss the energy crisis.


The meeting ordered some short-term measures for easing gas and petrol shortages and a few mid-term solutions to lessen load-shedding.

The measures included an assurance of daily supply of 30,000 tons of furnace oil to power generation companies which will likely add 2,700 megawatts of electricity to the system by month