[DAWN] Conceding that the country had been in grip of the worst-ever electricity crisis over the past three days, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif apologised to the nation on Monday and expressed the hope that the God Almighty would bestow some relief in about two days and there would be a drop in temperatures."The last three days were the most difficult days in terms of power supply," he said at a news conference, because of a reduction in power generation by about 1,500MW. With the supply of 15,000MW and demand at 19,000 to 20,000MW, there is a gap of 6,000 to 7,000MW.
Khawaja Asif said Punjab had suffered the most because five distribution companies operating in the province have struggled to ease the crisis and failed to implement federal government's instructions to reduce supply. The situation had led to forced loadshedding in some areas, including Islamabad, he added.