Unscheduled load shedding hassles G-9, G-10 residents, Friday prayers

As the national energy crisis deepens, sectors G-9 and G-10 in Islamabad emerged as the most affected areas, suffering around 10 to 12 hours of load shedding daily.

G-9 and G-10 residents expressed concerns about the persistent and unscheduled power outages, which were increasing as the weather got hotter.

For the residents, there appears to be no practical solution to the problem: “There is no respite for us from this deplorable situation. We cannot complete our work properly and in time due to the heat which is made worse by load shedding. We don’t even get a good night’s sleep,” complained resident Muhammad Luqman.

“Elderly people and children are suffering especially. Children are unable to wake up for school punctually as they are sleep deprived due to persistent load shedding,” said G-9 resident Ahsan Ali.

Further, university student Humayon Raja said, “It is impossible for me to study because of frequent interruptions in the power supply.” A shopkeeper in G-9 expressed similar sentiments: “I don’t know what to do. Even generators are not an option for me because of high fuel prices.”

The residents of these two sectors feared that the power cuts would become longer and more frequent as the temperature rose in the coming weeks.

Moreover, Maulana Ahmed Ali said that the hot weather makes Jumaa prayers difficult for praying Muslims. He was joined by prayer leaders from various mosques in demanding the Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (IESCO) to reschedule load shedding hours during Friday prayers.