Watch: Karachi, Lahore hit by major power breakdown across Pakistan

A major power breakdown on Monday morning rendered Pakistani cities like Karachi and Lahore without power. Electricity was disrupted after a fault in transmission lines.

Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune reported that “the national grid went down at 7:34am today, causing a widespread breakdown in the power system across Pakistan”. The newspaper said cities like Rawalpindi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta and Karachi were affected due to the grid failure.

In a series of tweets in Urdu, Imran Rana, Spokesperson, K-Electric said: “There are reports of multiple outages from different parts of the city. We are investigating the issue and will keep this space posted”.

Earlier, Rana said that K-Electric is “investigating the issue” of power outages in the metropolis. According to reports, 90 per cent of Karachi has been affected.

The two transmission lines from Guddu to Quetta tripped, according to Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO). The company added that 22 districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, are without power, channel Geo News reported.

Pakistan had recently announced a new energy conservation plan to shore up power as the country teeters on the financial edge. Its foreign exchange reserves have touched rock bottom even as its leadership tries to raise funds from international agencies and friendly countries.

Pakistan had earlier in October 2022 experienced a major power breakdown that had affected its largest cities Karachi and Lahore. Pakistan is also facing problems with the Chinese power producers who have not been paid substantial amounts for the last many years. Some of those companies have stopped their work owing to various concerns within the country.