Major parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab had to face a power blackout due to complications at the Guddu-Muzaffargarh power line, which in turn created problems for the Tarbela and Guddu power stations. This electricity breakdown was able to push the already agitated and charged masses of Pakistan, right before the elections. This power blackout created difficulties for people who could not go about carrying their daily businesses.

The power crisis is one of Pakistan’s most inherent problems, which every new government promises to do away with. However lack of planning and investment pushes the agenda way back on the list of priorities. Electricity has become an important need for people in their every day life. This blackout was able to bring everything to a halt, especially in areas facing a rise in temperature. The operations at the Islamabad International Airport and Benazir Bhutto Hospital came to a halt because the generators also stopped working.

Such a scenario further frustrates the already alienated population and they took to social media to express their anger at the situation. The temperature will be rising in the coming days, along with the fact that it is going to be the month of Ramzan. The guarantee of no load shedding is very important at this point, especially for the leaders in government. However the fact that the government was not able to address the problem in the last five years is a reflection of how well the problem will be managed this time.

There was no update on how long the outage would continue for and the citizens had to just wait for the power to come back to get back to their daily business. Such mismanagement of the issue only reflects on the management skills of the administration and the lack of interest in addressing problems that make it very difficult to survive in the summers and winters in this country.

Yesterday’s episode was just a minor reflection of how poorly managed the situation is. The coming months are going to be a test, not just for the government but also the people; who would have to endure the result of misplaced priorities.