Pakistan: Power crisis remains a nightmare

KARACHI: When power crisis last summer subsided after hitting hard the common men, industry and trade alike for months, people had expected that enlightened and moderate government would take the issue of energy availability seriously.

However, it is quite obvious now that people were wrong expecting good from the government, as the government failed at all fronts in trying to tackle the energy crisis. The industries located in the northern provinces of the country have been affected badly by the shortage of gas and resultant load shedding since the beginning of this winter season in early December.

In those parts of the country the situation is as bad for a large number of industrial consumers of gas as it was for everyone during the last summer when the country went through the worst power crisis of its history.

Those who are concerned about the situation are predicting that the coming months and years are going to be much more difficult for the industries because of the energy crisis that has gripped the country. Power shortage has always been there. Of late, we have started experiencing gas shortages despite being self-sufficient for decades in natural gas. Oil prices are still higher although they have fallen by around $29 per barrel in recent months. We have nowhere to go.

The News