As power returns after a massive breakdown across Pakistan on Monday, Power Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan raised suspicions about external forces behind the collapse of the national grid.
According to the details, Khurram Dastgir, speaking at a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday morning, said the government will also look into whether foreign hands were involved in the nationwide power outage. He clarified the “possibility of foreign intervention through the internet is low,” however, the matter will be probed as there have been multiple incidents recently.
Khurram Dastgir also revealed that there is enough fuel for the generation of power, to run the thermal power plants. The heavy-consuming power plants are used rarely to maintain the fuel price adjustment. The minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a three-member committee to find out the reasons behind the power breakdown. The ministry will cooperate with the committee headed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Musadiq Malik.
Read more: Power outage in Pakistan: Where is our country heading?
Dastgir further said that there will be a shortage of electricity and the citizens will face load shedding in the next 48 hours. He added that the system will be completely restored by Thursday.
All 1112 grid stations restored within 24 hours nationwide Alhamdulillah! pic.twitter.com/nGsAyKj7zs
— Ministry of Energy (@MoWP15) January 24, 2023
Power breakdown across Pakistan
Monday, citizens of Pakistan were left without electricity after a grid failure – which was the second time in three months – that affected all parts of the country.
As per the Power Minister, a variation in frequency on the national grid caused the cut, as power generation units were turned on early in the morning. The units had been temporarily switched off at night to save fuel. Despite the unprecedented voltage fluctuations in the national grid, the transmission system is safe, which will help in the restoration of power.
While Khurram Dastgir assured citizens that power would be restored, the incumbent government became the target of heavy criticism. Former Energy Minister Hammad Azhar termed the government ‘incompetent’ and said that the power breakdown occurred as the government shut down grid stations at night, believing that the demand for electricity reduces at night.
Read more: edPakistan hit by nationwide power outage