Pakistan launches radical plan to tackle power shortages

ISLAMABAD (By Masroor Gilani (AFP) — Pakistan's prime minister on Thursday announced a radical plan to tackle the nation's debilitating energy shortages, including extending the weekend and banning all-night wedding parties. Daily power cuts hit homes throughout the country, with some Pakistanis in rural areas living without electricity for most of the day, fuelling discontent, crippling industry and triggering violent protests.

Pakistan is only able to produce about two thirds of its required electricity, officials said, a crisis blamed on soaring demand, debt, a lack of investment, corruption and a creaking distribution system.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the plan -- effective immediately -- would save 500 megawatts of electricity per day, helping end unannounced blackouts and reduce scheduled power outages by 33 percent.

"I appeal to the people to remain calm and not damage public property during protests, and assure them that their government is doing everything to come out of this difficult situation," Gilani told a news conference.

In an effort to curb electricity usage, markets will be ordered to close at 8:00pm, government offices banned from using air conditioning before 11:00am, and lavish wedding celebrations ordered to last no more than three hours.

Pakistan's official weekend will be extended from one to two days -- Saturday and Sunday -- while neon signs and brightly-lit billboards would also be banned, said Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, minister for water and power.

"The decision of the two-day weekend will be reviewed by July 30 to see its impact," Ashraf said.

Pakistan currently has the capacity to produce 10,400 megawatts of electricity a day, he said, but faced a shortfall of 4,500 to 5,000 megawatts.

It was unclear, however, how the new measures would be enforced, with similar bans in the past widely ignored by shopkeepers and businessmen keen not to lose money by cutting their working hours.

In the long-term, Gilani said the government was exploring renewable energy solutions including solar projects with help from Germany, while also launching a 20-billion-rupee (240 million dollars) energy development fund.

The government hopes the measures will help calm nationwide dissent over the energy shortages.

Pakistanis have been pouring on to the streets almost daily across the country to protest the power cuts, burning tyres, blocking roads and pelting police with stones in increasingly disruptive demonstrations.

On Monday, a suicide bomber struck one such protest in the northwest city of Peshawar, killing 24 people. It was the latest attack bearing the hallmarks of Taliban militants blamed for hundreds of bombings in the past three years.

While Pakistanis are furious at the Taliban violence, it is the day-to-day problems like power cuts and soaring inflation that have sent the government's approval ratings plummeting since its election in February 2008.

The United States, which sees Islamabad as a key partner in its war on Islamic militancy, has also vowed to help develop new energy sources in Pakistan as part of a 7.5 billion dollar aid package finalised last year.