Pakistan hit by massive power outage leaving 220 million without electricity

Pakistan has suffered a nationwide power outage, leaving nearly 220 million people without electricity.

The outage threatens to cause havoc across the South Asian nation which is already struggling with fuel shortages in the winter months.

The country's energy minister said that the National Grid went down at 7.34am local time and that "work on the restoration of the system is going on fast."CNN has reported that a “limited number of grids” in the capital Islamabad and the city of Peshawar have had power restored.

It is currently unclear how long the outage will last and there are on-going efforts to restore power to various parts of the country.

The loss in power comes at the country's fragile economy continues to struggle with multiple challenges, including a severe energy crisis.

Earlier this month Pakistani authorities ordered shopping malls and markets to close by 8.30 pm as part of a new energy conservation plan aimed at easing the country's economic crisis.

The move came following talks with the International Monetary Fund to soften some conditions on Pakistan's $6 billion bailout, which the government thinks will cause a further increase in inflation.

Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif and Minister for Power Ghultam Dastghir said that the government decided to shut establishments early as part of the new energy conservation plan approved by the Cabinet.

Authorities also ordered wedding halls and restaurants to shut at 10 p.m.

The measures are designed to save energy and curtail the costs of imported oil, for which Pakistan spends $3 billion annually and which is used to generate most of Pakistan's electricity.

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