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• Duration nearly three times more than what was announced earlier
• Minister cites LNG import disruption, Middle East crisis as key factors
• Shortfall estimated at 3,400MW
• Demand spikes from 9,000MW to 20,000MW in days
• Nuclear plant maintenance postponed to boost supply

ISLAMABAD: Power Minister Awais Leghari on Thursday confirmed six to seven hours of load management — almost three times higher than the government’s public commitment — citing a sudden surge in demand, non-availability of imported gas and lower water discharges for irrigation.

Speaking at a news conference, the minister said power shortfalls had been caused by disruptions to LNG imports due to the Middle East crisis and by lower provincial irrigation water requirements, both of which he said were beyond the government’s control. However, he insisted that the government was making every possible effort to minimise both outages and potential tariff increases arising from the use of expensive alternative fuels.

In this regard, he said the government had even postponed maintenance of nuclear power plants for a few weeks, with no scheduled shutdowns until July. He added that all available resources had been mobilised, including diplomatic channels, to secure fuel supplies through alternative LNG sourcing and diversion of local gas, while ensuring adequate availability for fertiliser production.

The minister said the country also witnessed unusual fluctuations in demand this month due to weather conditions, with the lowest demand of 9,000MW on April 9 and a peak of 20,000MW six days later, on April 15.

He said the situation would slightly improve in a day as discharges from dams had been increased by 15,000 cusecs to 25,000 cusecs, which would help enhance hydropower generation.

On the other side of the equation, hydropower sou­rces provided 3,200MW and 3,000MW from liquefied natural gas imports, leading to minuscule generation from furnace oil because it had a significant fuel-cost impact.

This year, however, all LNG-based plants with a capacity of 6,000MW remain mostly idle due to LNG import disruptions caused by the Middle East war. While LNG-based plants provide no more than 500MW and that too on local gas, hydropower supply also stood at 1,600MW, because of recent rains that replaced water discharges from dams for irrigation.

This meant, he claimed, that there would have been no power shortfall if LNG-based and hydropower plants had been operating, as the current shortfall was around 3,400MW.

“Every 500-600MW sho­rtfall translates into one-hour load management and therefore the government was forced to have six to seven hours of average load management without any discrimination between urban and rural areas,” he said, adding that the load management schedule was equitable.

He claimed that there was no load management during the daytime, when demand generally remained low and there was sufficient generation capacity available. He appealed to consumers to conserve power to sail through an international crisis. He added that despite shortcomings at present, Pakistan’s diverse energy sources like coal, solar, wind, nuclear and others are also a strength, which provides resilience in times of crisis, otherwise, the situation would have been even worse than at present.

Mr Leghari said the early market closures enforced by the government had also helped shave about 1,200-1,400MW peak demand; otherwise, the load management would have been higher by another two hours.

The minister did not agree with a questioner that LNG from Qatar may not be available for the next three years and claimed that some supplies were possible by mid-May.

He said spot purchases were not possible at the moment because of the war’s impact and unaffordable prices, as imports of petrol and diesel were already facing foreign exchange constraints due to higher import prices.

He conceded that cheaper and greater generation capacity in the south could not be utilised in the north for some transmission constraints as well as system stability issues arising out of the non-availability of LNG-based generation capacity in the mid-country and that was why there was no load management in Karachi and Hyderabad power supply areas, except some economic load management by K-Electric in high-loss areas.

With these load management efforts, the minister said the positive fuel cost adjustment next month would be around Rs1.3 per unit, compared to Rs1.8 per unit a couple of months ago; otherwise, fuel costs would have risen significantly with full utilisation of furnace oil- and diesel-based plants.

He took responsibility for consumers’ suffering but said the challenges were caused by a war in the neighbourhood and lower water requirements for irrigation. “If the public is facing any inconveniences due to us not providing electricity at night and during peak hours, I am directly answerable and apologise,” he said, but insisted that the circumstances were beyond the government’s control.

The minister explained that power demand beyond 16,500MW required load management in the absence of gas availability. “A shortfall occurs when the demand goes beyond 16,500MW after the consumption of every fuel resource in Pakistan — imported coal, local coal, nuclear, hydropower and solar power. And then in the evening, the load shedding hours have to be increased as per the requirements,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2026

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HARIPUR: At least eight people, including children, were killed and 11 others were injured after a Sui Northern Gas supply line located near a factory burst and caught fire in the Hattar Industrial Estate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Haripur district, officials said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

Dr Munawwar Afridi from Haripur district headquarters hospital (DHQ), who is also associated with the rural health centre (RHC) in the Kot Najibullah union council, told Dawn that three of the bodies were brought to the DHQ and five others to the RHC.

Haripur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Waseem Ahmed told Dawn it appeared that the deaths were mainly caused by suffocation.

He separately told the media that the fire had engulfed three to four nearby houses located within a radius of 200 kilometres of the factory had been affected by the fire.

Muhammad Amir, an official of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL), told Dawn that the affected pipeline had a diameter of 16 inches and supplied gas to industrial estates up to Abbottabad towards the north. It was located near 400 residential quarters of Hattar Industrial Estate, he added.

Amir said while the cause of the fire was yet to be determined, area residents had informed the SNGPL about a “gas explosion and large fire” at around 6:30pm. He added that field teams rushed to the site of the incident upon receiving the information and found the pipeline on fire.

Amir said SNGPL teams, Rescue 1122 teams and personnel from other departments, including firefighters, participated in the operation to douse the blaze.

He said the SNGPL staff had cut off the gas supply to the pipeline, and yet dousing the blaze took at least two hours as rescue personnel faced difficulties due to the quantity of running gas in the supply line.

While the fire was blazing, flames could be seen from kilometres away, he said.

Amir further said that the supply line was located near the industrial estate’s factories, and it was presumed that the godowns in those units contained chemical material.

“Their leakage could have caused the fire,” he estimated, reiterating that the exact cause of the fire was yet to be determined.

DC Ahmed, who supervised the firefighting and rescue operation alongside Haripur District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Khan, told Dawn that the fire was controlled after three hours of efforts.

Rescue personnel had also searched the site to ensure that there were no other casualties and no one was trapped at the site of the incident.

DPO Khan told Dawn that while the exact cause of the fire would be determined after investigation, circumstantial evidence showed that gas pressure could have caused an explosion in the supply line.

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This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday his country was “ready” for a possible US attack on the communist island following months of mounting pressure from President Donald Trump.

“We don’t want that (confrontation) but it is our duty to be ready to avoid it, and if it were unavoidable, to win it,” Diaz-Canel told thousands of people attending a rally in Havana to mark the 65th anniversary of the failed US invasion of the island at the Bay of Pigs.

Cuba has been bracing for a possible attack following repeated warnings from Trump that Cuba is “next” after he toppled Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro and went to war against Iran.

Washington and Havana have held talks on de-escalating tensions, but the discussions between the arch-foes have failed to make significant headway, according to US media reports.

Mariela Castro, daughter of late president Raul Castro, said Cubans “want dialogue” with Washington but “without putting our political system up for debate”.

She said her 94-year-old father — who oversaw a historic 2015 rapprochement with the United States under Barack Obama that Trump later reversed — was indirectly involved in the talks.

Raul’s grandson, Raul Rodriguez Castro, a colonel, is reportedly among the negotiators.

Diaz-Canel admitted that the current moment was “very grave” but stressed Cuba’s “socialist” nature, as proclaimed by Fidel Castro on April 16, 1961.

The 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion was launched two years after Castro’s revolutionaries took control of the island and began nationalising US-owned properties and businesses.

Between April 15 and 19, around 1,400 anti-Castro Cuban exiles in Miami, trained and financed by the CIA, landed at the Bay of Pigs, about 250 kilometres south of Havana. Cuban forces repelled the invaders, inflicting a humiliating defeat on the Americans.

Six decades later, Washington now has Cuba again in its sights.

After Maduro’s capture in Caracas, Trump imposed an oil blockade of Cuba, aggravating the impoverished island’s worst economic and energy crisis in decades.

Diaz-Canel rejected what he referred to as a US portrayal of Cuba as a “failed state.”

Havana largely blames its woes on a US trade embargo imposed shortly after Castro’s arrival to power, still in place today, and the more recent oil blockade.

“Cuba is not a failed state, it’s a besieged state,” he said.

Maria Reguiero, an 82-year-old attending the rally, said that, like in 1961, Cubans were “ready to defend their sovereignty, whatever the price”.

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BEIRUT: Amid efforts of a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel continued its attacks and targeted paramedic teams on Wednesday in southern part of the country, killing at least three of them.

“The Israeli enemy targeted paramedic teams in the town of Mayfadoun, Nabatiyeh district, three consecutive times,” the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement.

“This resulted in the martyrdom of three paramedics and the injury of six others, while one paramedic remains missing,” it said.

The Israeli military renewed an order for people to leave a swathe of southern Lebanon as it intensified the attacks on Wednesday, a day after talks with a Lebanese government envoy in Washington, which Hezbollah condemned and termed the Lebanese government move “a national sin” that would widen divisions in a deeply polarised Lebanon.

Israeli military claims to have hit 200 targets; UN condemns Lebanon strikes

The Israeli military said it had struck over 200 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours.

Scale back attacks, says Trump

Trump has urged Israel to scale back attacks in Lebanon, apparently to avoid undermining the ceasefire with Iran.

Israel’s offensive in Lebanon has killed more than 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million from their homes since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.

Tuesday’s meeting between officials of Lebanon government and Israeli government was hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.

The Israeli and Lebanese envoys said the talks were positive. Israel has said the aim of the talks is to disarm Hezbollah.

Regional efforts for ceasefire

Meanwhile, a Hezbollah lawmaker said Iranian and regional efforts could lead to a Lebanon ceasefire “soon”.

Diplomatic efforts by Iran and other regional countries could produce a ceasefire in Lebanon “soon”, senior Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim al-Moussawi on Wednesday said, adding that Tehran had used its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage.

“The Iranians are exercising high pressure against the Americans and they have put their conditions that the Americans should include Lebanon in the ceasefire. If they don’t do it, they are going to continue their blockade of Strait of Hormuz. It’s the economic card,” Moussawi said. “The Iranians have opened up to several regional and international parties to achieve this goal,” he said.

Moussawi declined to comment on whether the group would abide by such a ceasefire.

Complaint to UN

In a complaint to the United Nations, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry said the death toll from the April 8 attacks attack of Israel stood at 303, including 30 children and 71 women.

Israel claimed it had launched a ground assault against Hezbollah and its Amal allies.

UN experts condemned Israel’s bombing in Lebanon earlier this month as “illegal aggression and indiscriminate bombing campaign”, the United Nations Human Rights Council said.

“This is not self-defence. It is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, a deliberate destruction of prospects for peace, and an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order,” the experts were quoted as saying in a statement.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026

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President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday directed that all possible efforts be made to minimise loadshedding across the country, according to a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat.

He issued the directive while chairing a meeting on water resource management at Aiwan-i-Sadr, the statement said, adding that the president also addressed the issue of energy shortfalls linked to the regional situation.

President Zardari “stressed that any load management should be carried out strictly in a transparent and declared manner, in line with prior public announcements, so that citizens are fully informed and disruption is reduced”, the statement added.

The president’s directive came a day after the government announced more than two hours of daily loadshedding during peak hours in a bid to prevent a sharp increase in electricity tariffs.

The move is linked to the suspension of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports following the force majeure declared by Qatar due to attacks on its gas field amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Qatar is the main LNG supplier to Pakistan under two long-term contracts envisaging up to 1,000 million cubic feet per day.

The Power Division said it was capable of meeting full demand but this had negative consequences.

“The main challenge at present is during peak hours from 5pm to 1am. During this time, demand increases significantly, mainly due to reduced hydel generation. Relying on expensive fuels to meet this demand could lead to a substantial increase in electricity prices,” it said.

President expresses concern over ‘weaponisation of water’

The meeting at Aiwan-i-Sadr also reviewed issues related to water availability, governance and regional developments affecting Pakistan’s water security, the statement by the President’s Secretariat said.

It said President Zardari expressed concern over the “weaponisation of water by India by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)”.

In April 2025, the Indian government announced a unilateral suspension of its obligations under the IWT following the attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence.

Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack, with the foreign ministry questioning the credibility of India’s account of the events and saying it was “replete with fabrications”.

The president noted that the attempt to “use water as a political tool is a matter of serious consequence”, the statement said.

It added that he emphasised the importance of safeguarding Pakistan’s water rights and ensuring that all necessary diplomatic and legal measures were pursued.

President Zardari also directed authorities to accelerate water conservation efforts across the country.

“He called for the swift implementation of rainwater harvesting initiatives at domestic, commercial, and industrial levels, and directed that construction of small dams, recharge wells, and water storage infrastructure be expedited.”

President Zardari emphasised that conserving water was a “national imperative”, particularly in the current regional climate.

The statement said that the meeting also discussed broader regional developments.

“President Zardari noted that stability in the region remains essential and expressed confidence that, with constructive engagement and sustained efforts by Pakistan, a workable path forward in the evolving situation involving Iran could be achieved,” it stated.

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• Says dialogue with Iran may resume within two days as diplomatic efforts intensify
• PM Shehbaz set to visit S. Arabia, Turkiye as Dar meets top diplomats
• China warns naval blockade of Hormuz to aggravate confrontation
• Iranian president praises states for stance against ‘warmongering’ Israel
• Macron urges Trump, Pezeshkian to resume talks, include Lebanon in ceasefire
• Xi meets UAE leadership, puts forward four-point proposal

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted at a possible second round of talks with Iran in Islamabad within days, even as Washington stepped up military pressure by enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports following the failure of weekend negotiations.

Speaking to the New York Post in a phone interview, Trump said fresh talks could take place in Pakistan “over the next two days”, indicating a shift in his earlier position. After saying in an initial call that talks were unlikely to return to Pakistan, the NYP said Mr Trump called back minutes later to say it was “more likely” they would go back to Islamabad.

“It’s more likely, you know why? Because the Field Marshal (Asim Munir) is doing a great job. He’s fantastic, and therefore it’s more likely that we go back there,” Trump said. “Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?”

The remarks came days after the inaugural round of direct Iran-US dialogue, mediated by Pakistan, ended in Islamabad without an agreement despite nearly 21 hours of talks. While no breakthrough was achieved, both sides indicated that the diplomatic channel remained open.

Earlier, US Vice President J.D. Vance, who headed the American delegation during the Islamabad Talks, also praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Munir for their role in facilitating talks between the United States and Iran.

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Vance described both leaders as exceptional hosts and commended their statesmanship in helping mediate discussions between the two countries.

Blockade enforced

The US military said on Tuesday that it successfully stopped six ships from sailing out of Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of a naval blockade against the Islamic republic.

Central Command (CENTCOM) — which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East — said more than 10,000 US troops, over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are taking part in the mission.

“During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade and six merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.

“The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” it added.

But despite CENTCOM’s assertion that no vessels made it through the blockade, tracking information from maritime data provider Kpler showed at least two ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Tehran’s forces effectively closed the strait after the start of the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran on Feb 28, and the US on Sunday announced its own blockade after peace talks with Iran failed.

Pakistan’s efforts

Pakistan, which hosted the first round of talks, continued diplomatic outreach amid rising tensions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held meetings in Islamabad with senior diplomats from Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, appreciating the convergence of the four countries on global matters, the Foreign Office said.

In a post on X, the Foreign ministry said that Mr Dar “met with Musa Kulaklikaya, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkiye; Ambassador Nazih El Naggari, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt, and Prince Dr Abdullah bin Khalid bin Saud Al-Kabeer Al-Saud, Director General of the MFA of Saudi Arabia”.

During the meeting, Mr Dar lauded the “convergence of views on important regional and global matters among the four brotherly countries”.

He stressed the need for “devising a cooperative framework among the four countries, focusing on the shared goals of peace, prosperity and economic development”.

The diplomats are in the country for the inaugural meeting of “Senior Officials’ Meeting of four countries (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt), held today in Islamabad,” the Foreign Office said.

Separately, during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari praised Pakistan’s role in facilitating the Iran-US dialogue and called it an important contribution to regional peace and stability.

He urged continued engagement with both Washington and Tehran, as well as other global powers, to sustain the fragile diplomatic process.

During the meeting, the prime minister took the president into confidence on all aspects of the dialogue between Iran and the United States. PM Shehbaz provided a detailed briefing on the various stages of the dialogue and the progress achieved through Pakistan’s mediation.

He also apprised the president of his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye for further engagement to promote the peace efforts.

Global reactions

Meanwhile, the escalating situation drew sharp international reactions, as world leaders urged restraint and a return to negotiations.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he had urged US President Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian to resume stalled talks towards ending the Iran war.

“I urged the resumption of the negotiations suspended in Islamabad, the clearing up of misunderstandings, and the avoidance of any further escalation,” the French president wrote on X, after speaking to both leaders on Monday.

“It is essential, in particular, that the ceasefire be strictly respected by all parties and that it includes Lebanon,” Mr Macron said.

“It is equally important that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened uncon­ditionally, without restrictions or tolls, as soon as possible,” he added.

China also criticised the US move, calling the blockade “dangerous and irresponsible” and warning it would only aggravate tensions.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that despite a temporary ceasefire agreed by relevant parties, the United States had increased military deployments and imposed a targeted blockade, a move that would exacerbate the conflict, undermine the fragile truce and further jeopardise the safety of navigation through the strait.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Pezeshkian said that “the essence of civilisations reveals itself at historical junctures’, praising certain countries for their stances against Israel.

“The positions taken by Spain, China, Russia, Turkiye, Italy, and Egypt against the warmongering and crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) stem from their deep cultural and historical roots,” he said on X.

Xi meets Abu Dhabi crown prince

Separately, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday put forward a four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East during a meeting in Beijing with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Mr Xi called for adherence to the principle of peaceful coexistence. “It is imperative to promote the building of a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security architecture for the Middle East and the Gulf region,” he noted.

He said the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region should be fully respected.

Noting the UAE is a comprehensive strategic partner of China, Mr Xi said China has always attached great importance to developing relations with the UAE.

Sheikh Khaled stated that China-UAE relations have a long history and solid foundation, with both countries always showing mutual respect and trust and sharing extensive common interests.

The UAE appreciated China’s res­ponsible and constructive role in international affairs and its positive efforts towards a political solution to the current Middle East crisis, he said.

Syed Irfan Raza in Islamabad and Anwar Iqbal in Washington also contributed to this report

With additional input from APP, AFP, Reuters

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2026

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Israel and Lebanon agreed to direct negotiations following talks in Washington on Tuesday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had hailed as a “historic opportunity” for peace.

The two countries have technically been at war for decades, and Tuesday’s talks have been vehemently opposed by Hezbollah, which announced that it had fired rockets at more than a dozen northern Israeli towns just as the meeting was getting under way.

The United States is pressing for a halt to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing it could derail the two-week ceasefire in Washington’s war with Iran after talks with Tehran in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Tuesday’s meeting in Washington, the first high-level direct talks since 1993, was mediated by Rubio and involved the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States.

“This is a historic opportunity,” Rubio said as he welcomed the ambassadors, acknowledging the “decades of history” complicating the process.

“The hope today is that we can outline a framework upon which a current and lasting peace can be developed.”

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun had said he hoped the talks “will mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people.”

A State Department spokesperson said afterward that discussions were “productive,” adding: “All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.”

Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter said the two sides “had a wonderful exchange.”

“We discovered today that we’re on the same side,” he told reporters, saying both countries were “united in liberating Lebanon” from Hezbollah.

In a statement of her own, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad called the meeting “constructive,” but said she had also called for a ceasefire and insisted on “the full sovereignty of the state over all Lebanese land,” among other issues.

Israeli forces are currently occupying parts of Lebanon’s south, and its government has resisted considering any ceasefire until Hezbollah is dismantled.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country was seeking “peace and normalisation” with the Lebanese state, but said Hezbollah was the key problem and “needs to be addressed.”

Before the meeting, Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem had called for the negotiations to be scrapped and vowed to fight on.

Foreign ministers from 17 countries, including Britain and France, urged both countries to seize the chance to bring lasting security to the region.

The US State Department released a statement after the meeting saying the two sides had “productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations”.

It set out each country’s positions but did not say they had reached any common ground. “All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue,” the statement ​said.

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Additional input from Reuters

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