Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday warned that loadshedding is expected to intensify in the coming months as Pakistan is facing fuel shortages caused by inadequate supply arrangements.
Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, the senior Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leader said the minimum loadshedding duration in June and July will be three hours.
He said that at present, the duration of loadshedding in the country is two and a half hours. However, the duration of load shedding on certain feeders is longer, as power plants are closed due to a lack of fuel.
He added that fuel prices are at record highs all over the world due to which electricity cannot be produced using expensive fuel as that would be beyond the reach of consumers.
The former premier said during PMLN’s previous tenure, the government had signed long-term contract to import LNG at a rate of $10/MMBTU from Qatar. Now, LNG is not available even at the rate of $30/MMBTU. He blamed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government for mismanagement in the energy sector.
