Daily Times

Sir: There was a time when the word load shedding was not common, and many in our country did not even know what it meant. Even today, people from some countries abroad need to be explained this incredible phenomenon which seems to be only prevalent in Pakistan.

For years, the public has resigned itself to living in a country where the electricity outages occur according to a preset timetable. We plan our lives and our schedules around these outages, and have grown so used to them that we don’t even complain anymore if they last for an hour-the customary time limit for load shedding.

However, even after this supreme sacrifice by our people, in which they quietly wait for electricity to come back and that too in the 21st century, there are times when the hour mark will be crossed. In fact, in certain areas, the electricity can shut off for hours on end, and that is something that nobody is willing to overlook, especially the residents that have to live without power for so long. In a time when temperatures are reaching unprecedented levels, and a record number of people are dying due to heat strokes etc, it is imperative that they be provided with at least the ability to turn on their ceiling fan in times of great heat.

Over the past few weeks, many residents of Karachi have had an especially hard time, with instances of load shedding rising tenfold. While many of the people in the city accepted that due to the elections and the change of government many issue have gone overlooked, now that the PTI has taken charge in the centre, and the PPP has taken charge in Sindh, I implore the necessary authorities to curb this increasing load shedding at once. The people of Karachi have had enough.

SHEHERYAR BILAL

Karachi

Published in Daily Times, August 19^th 2018.