KARACHI: Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Talat Mahmood has strongly criticised prolonged and widespread load-shedding by K-Electric (KE), warning that persistent power disruptions are undermining industrial productivity, commercial activity, employment and residents’ daily lives.
Expressing concern over reports that KE had extended load-shedding to areas previously exempt from scheduled outages, Mahmood said Karachi, the country’s main commercial and industrial hub, continued to face an unreliable electricity supply despite its critical contribution to the national economy.
“Karachi cannot be expected to drive Pakistan’s economy while its industries, businesses and households are repeatedly plunged into darkness. Electricity is an essential service, not a privilege,” he said, urging KE to explain the reasons for the outages and outline concrete measures to resolve the crisis.
Referring to media reports of up to 14 hours of daily load-shedding in some localities, alongside additional outages in previously exempt areas, he said the situation was damaging economic activity, industrial competitiveness and export performance.
Mahmood noted that Karachi’s industries were already grappling with high energy costs, rising production expenses and intense international competition. Additional power cuts, he said, were increasing operating costs, disrupting manufacturing processes, affecting machinery-dependent operations, delaying deliveries and putting export commitments at risk.
“Every hour of load-shedding means lost production, wasted resources, additional costs and mounting uncertainty for businesses,” he said, adding that the consequences extended beyond businesses to workers, consumers and the wider economy.
He particularly highlighted the difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which could not afford expensive alternative power arrangements. Electricity disruptions were also affecting shops, markets, offices, service providers and daily-wage workers dependent on uninterrupted commercial activity.
Acknowledging KE’s explanation that the latest load management was linked to nationwide constraints in regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) supplies and international supply disruptions, Mahmood said the burden should not be transferred to consumers without transparent explanations and effective contingency planning.
He acknowledged that fuel shortages could create genuine challenges for electricity generation but stressed that such circumstances made advance planning, clear communication and efficient utilisation of available resources even more important.
The KCCI president urged KE to review its load-management arrangements, maximise available generation capacity and electricity supplies, coordinate with relevant federal authorities and restore normal power supply as soon as possible.
He also called on the federal and provincial governments, the Ministry of Energy and regulatory authorities to investigate the causes and extent of the crisis and ensure that electricity shortages were managed through a transparent, equitable and time-bound mechanism.
Mahmood said KCCI would continue to highlight the concerns of the business community and press for practical measures to ensure reliable and affordable electricity for Karachi’s industries, businesses and residents.
