Independent probe to ascertain root cause of nationwide power breakdown.

Byline: Imran Mukhtar

ISLAMABAD -- The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the Senate on Friday blamed the past governments of PPP and PML-N for the energy crises in the country and said that it was doing a root cause analysis of the last weekend's major power shutdown that plunged the entire country into darkness.

Responding to the criticism of the opposition for the blackout, the shortage of gas and over prices of electricity, Minister for Energy (Power Division) Omar Ayub Khan told the House that the PTI government was trying to improve the country's power and gas sectors by addressing mistakes of the previous regimes of PPP and PML-N, both opposition parties.

About the power shutdown, the power minister informed that the preliminary reason was the mistake of a team working at the Guddu Power Plant where a 'repair work was underway on a breaker besides the gas turbine and they had done earthing there.' They did not communicate with the National Power Control Center before energizing this earthing system, he added. 'When they energized it, 2, 20,000 voltage line got earthed immediately at zero causing a voltage crisis,' he also said.

'Despite this, we have investigated the matter and independent inquiry teams are sitting as we welcome that that facts should be dug down,' the minister said adding that they were not sitting idle. He said that the solution to the problems did not lie with the suspension of the team or lower level workers. 'We will undertake root-cause analysis and improvement in the system will be brought wherever needed.'

'With due apology, our colleagues are either using selective memory or twisting facts or they are avoiding the facts,' Omar said while criticising the opposition. He added that...