No matter how much one appreciates the gesture of Yousuf Raza Gilani in ordering the power supply companies all over the country to not to resort to loadshedding during the Pakistan-India cricket encounter in Bangladesh on Sunday, it seems that the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is no match for the Karachi Electric Supply Company.

Or what else does one make out of the KESC categorically rejecting the prime minister’s orders to the power supply

companies, including, of course, the KESC, to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the Pakistan-India cricket match on Sunday?

An official of the KESC categorically stated that the power utility would be compelled to resorting to the four-to-seven-and-half-hours of loadshedding due to the reduced gas supply to the utility service which had been the case for the last few days, making it clear that unless gas supply to it was normalized, it would stick to the current schedule of power outages.

A KESC official told The News on Saturday that they were ready to reduce the duration of the loadshedding provided gas supply to the power company from the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) was restored as the KESC’s main power plants were powered by natural gas.

“One of our 560-megawatts combined cycle power plant is almost ready for production, but the promised 130 MMCFD additional gas is not being given to us, forcing us to resort to up to seven-and-half-hours of loadshedding in the city,” he added.

Perhaps the only thing the die hard cricket fans in the city could say to Gilani is: Hard luck, prime minister, the KESC won’t let you to be the Man of the Match on this occasion. —MWB