Despite hosting the largest project in Pakistan, known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Makuran has failed to secure a proper supply of electricity. Meanwhile, China claims several developments in Balochistan, particularly in Gwadar, but we see a dark Gwadar.

It is painful to note that as Pakistan’s existence in Balochistan reaches nearly 70 years, the state has kept Balochistan aside or turned a blind eye, not helping Balochistan in any regard. Power supply in this era has become a basic need for citizens.

The agreement for supplying electricity to Makuran was signed in September 2003 between Iran and Pakistan. Iran agreed to supply 35 megawatts of electricity to Makuran per day. However, after 2013, the supply was enhanced to 100 megawatts per day, but in recent years, there has been a massive outage of power in the concerned division.

In August 2024, the public in Absor, Kech, staged a rally against the rapid load-shedding and took to the streets, demanding their basic right to electricity. Sadly, the rally failed to attract the attention of the concerned authorities and officers and did not rouse them from their slumber. The sole purpose of the rally was to address the load-shedding, as on August 27th, it was observed that the electricity supply was cut off from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and again from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. As a result, we only received 7 hours of electricity throughout the day.

Before that day, Voice of Turbat, a news channel, revealed in a report issued on August 26th on Facebook that Makuran is experiencing a horrifying power crisis, with 20 to 22 hours of load-shedding every day. The report further states that a new officer from Punjab took over the charge of WAPDA in Makuran’s grid and deliberately shuts off the power. This action by the officer indicates that this load-shedding is 100% man-made. The report also suggests that the purpose of connecting Makuran to the national grid was not to bring electricity to the region but to take it away so that WAPDA’s high officials could receive hefty sums of money. This man-made load-shedding in such hot weather disrupts both the public and work.

Recently, Makuran has been receiving much less electricity compared to other cities in Pakistan. According to sources, Lahore is experiencing six hours of load-shedding, which is much less compared to Makuran, currently suffering from 18 to 20 hours of load-shedding.

Makuran experiences very high temperatures in summer, averaging more than 48 degrees Celsius and sometimes crossing 50 degrees Celsius. In such hot weather, this severe power crisis can cause deaths and make people suffer, especially those who are already unhealthy.

Therefore, the government should set up a committee to inquire into the issue and work on resolving it to ensure this basic right for the people.