Zardari immune to power cuts in ‘blackout’ state Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - While all the ministers of Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s cabinet have agreed to face power cuts as part of an electricity load shedding exercise, the quarters of President Asif Ali Zardari have refused to be part of the exercise, citing security risks.

Now Zardari is immune from power outages for even an iota of a second, The Nation reports.

Perhaps this is one reason why the masses have yet to hear a word from the Presidency over the ever-prolonging crisis in the country when Gilani and others are issuing statements on the issue.

According to sources, relevant authorities are not allowed to switch off electric supply to the Aiwan-i-Sadr, the official residence of the Pakistani president, for even a second.

This immunity was not only for Zardari’s residence and workplace but also for the entire residential colony of the Presidency.

Zardari, sources claimed, had offered to include the Presidency into the loadshedding schedule but the security advisors had termed it as a security risk.

Therefore, the Presidency has not been subjected to any loadshedding while the masses are faced with power outages for six to 12 hours every day, the paper said. (ANI)