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Lights out, bills up as summer approaches

The government is finalising a plan to curb summer electricity consumption through scheduled outages, compulsory conservation measures, and higher tariffs as cooling demand rises in the coming weeks. The move reflects a deepening fuel shortage caused by a complete disruption of LNG supplies, constrained Thar coal output, and costly alternatives like furnace oil and imported coal. With peak demand expected at 27–28 GW, officials say daily power cuts and steeper bills are unavoidable Pakistan’s ongoing energy stress, triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran , stems primarily from two shocks: the total disruption of Qatari LNG imports — already reflected in reduced utilisation of gas-fired plants — and the escalating cost of other imported fossil fuels such as oil and coal, the full impact of which has yet to be felt by consumers and the economy. Dr Khalid Waleed of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) estimates that a full summer blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could cu...
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Buy jet fuel from US or get your own, Trump rails against allies

• Hegseth claims next few days to be ‘decisive’, says conflict to intensify if deal not made • Pezeshkian says Iran wants to end war but not without guarantees; Araghchi confirms messages exchanged with US, denies talks • Iranian missiles injure nine in Tel Aviv; US companies in region warned • Israel claims hitting 20 weapon manufacturing sites; Iran says pharma facilities, desalination plant struck WASHINGTON: As US Presi­dent Donald Trump singled out his allies who did not help him in the US-Israeli war against Iran , Iranian President Masoud Pezes­hkian said Tehran had the “necessary will” to end the ongoing war, but not without guarantees that the conflict would not be repeated. In a statement posted on Truth Social, President Trump railed against the European countries, particularly the UK and France, for being unhelpful in the month-long war that has roiled global markets and led to the disruption of fuel supply via the Strait of Hormuz. “All of those countries that can’t ...
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LNG supplies under force majeure, not available for power generation, say officials

ISLAMABAD: Government officials said during a public hearing on Tuesday that liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies were under force majeure and not available for power generation. Force majeure is a clause included in contracts that allows a party to be excused from its obligations due to circumstances that are beyond its control. The officials’ revelation during the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) hearing thus means that LNG supplies were unavailable due to circumstances that were beyond the relevant parties’ control. Responding to questions, Central Power Purchasing Agency (CCPA) Chief Executive Officer Rehan Akhtar said LNG supplies were currently under force majeure, but he assured that coal supplies — another source for power generation — through imports were not facing any problems as they mostly came from South Africa and Indonesia, and were unaffected by disruptions in the Middle East. LNG-based power plants have a generation capacity of more than 4,500 me...
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World Bank develops roadmap to modernise wheat sector in Pakistan

• Move aims to stimulate private sector investment and redirect resources • Paper says Pakistan must close its yield gap through better seed systems, balanced fertiliser use and efficient water management • Calls for empowering farmers with small holdings through access to finance, aggregation ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has developed a roadmap to modernise the wheat sector in Pakistan, recommending focused interventions in five priority areas that are aimed at stimulating private sector investment and redirect resources towards core public goods for greater returns, increased farmer incomes, and job creation. The five targeted actions highlighted in a technical paper spelt out closing the productivity gap between Pakistan and other comparable wheat producers; increased investment in agricultural research and development; empowering the farmers with small holdings so that they can reach their full potential; improving institutional coordination and transparency to ensure market stabi...
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Israel passes law making death penalty default sentence for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks

Israel’s ​parliament passed ‌a law on ​Monday ​making the death ⁠penalty ​a default ​sentence for Palestinians convicted ​in ​military court of ‌deadly ⁠attacks, seeing through a ​main ​pledge ⁠by Prime ​Minister ​Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu’s far-right ⁠allies. The legislation has been sharply criticised as discriminatory by European nations and rights groups. The Times of Israel reported that the Knesset voted 62-48 to pass the law. The bill was spearheaded by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, party. The legislation results in the death penalty becoming the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed “acts of terrorism” by an Israeli military court. The legislation says that the sentence may be reduced to life imprisonment under “special circumstances”. According to The Times of Israel , the sentence handed under the law cannot be appea...
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Global food waste crisis undermines climate and security, says UNEP official

ISLAMABAD: The world wastes food on a staggering scale, as every year over one billion tonnes of edible food — nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers — is thrown away, impacting both people and the environment, undermining food security and climate resilience, and compromising progress towards a zero-waste, circular future. The ‘International Day of Zero Waste’ is being observed on Monday (today), focusing on “Food – what we eat, what we waste, and how we can move towards a more circular future”. While hundreds of millions of people face hunger, 13 per cent of food is lost before it reaches retailers, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said. In 2022, the world wasted an estimated 1.05 billion tonnes of food across the retail, food service, and household sectors combined. This amounts to 132 kg per capita per year, of which 79 kg per capita was wasted in households. In a campaign brief, the UNEP said, “Zero waste starts on your plate”, estimating that $1 tri...
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In letter to PSL CEO, police detail alleged security protocol breach by Lahore Qalandar’s Shaheen Afridi, Sikandar Raza

Lahore Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations) Muhammad Faisal brought to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) chief executive officer’s notice on Sunday the alleged breach of security protocols involving Lahore Qalandar players Sikandar Raza and Shaheen Shah Afridi and urged necessary action to prevent the recurrence of such violations. The Zimbabwe all-rounder is among several overseas players who arrived in Lahore to join their franchises for the 11th edition of the PSL. In his letter, the Lahore DIG said, “As per the contents of the report of the superintendent of police (operations), Civil Lines Division, Lahore, a serious breach of established security protocols occurred on March 28, 2026 at the PC hotel where all PSL participant teams are currently residing under strict security arrangements.” The letter said that at approximately 10:35pm, the Lahore Qalandars liaison officer approached Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Security and Anti-Corruption Manager Lt Col (retd) Akhtar ...
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