The burgeoning energy crisis could bring about the downfall of the incumbent Nawaz Sharif's government in Pakistan, according to an expert.
Pakistan is grappling with severe energy shortages for some years as some parts of the country have been facing electricity cuts for up to 20 hours a day.
Reflecting on the country's acute energy crisis, Michael Kugelman, senior programme associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center said that energy might well be the government's undoing, the Dawn reported.
Warning the nation of its emboldened military presence, Kugelman further said that if power shortages bring large numbers of people onto the streets, and these protests occur nationwide and are sustained for many days, the military may lean on Sharif to call early elections.
According to reports, the Power and Water Ministry's inability to pay off its debt of Rs 171 billion to the Pakistan State Oil company has led to the fuel shortages, which had even brought life to a standstill in the Punjab province in January.
