A local market illuminated by alternative power sources during a power outage in Karachi in May.
Photographer: Asim Hafeez/BloombergGray Power Market Thrives as Iran War Leaves Pakistan in the Dark
A historic energy crunch is pushing ordinary citizens to find their own fixes as temperatures rise.
In sweltering pre-monsoon Karachi, residents have been struggling with persistent blackouts for weeks. With no end in sight to the war that has upended Pakistan’s energy supplies, many are seeking their own solutions — and a network of gray-market providers is helping to fill the gap.
Mohammad Mazhar, a tailor in a densely populated residential district of Pakistan’s business capital, pays a monthly fee to tap a nearby generator when his main supply cuts out. Outages are becoming more frequent after nearly three months of disruption in the Persian Gulf, Mazhar said, and at least five similar micro-utilities have popped up around the neighborhood.