Major parts of the country – both rural and urban – are reporting a sudden spike in unannounced power outages, but people do not seem to care beyond an occasional social media post.

While most urban centres are reporting power cuts lasting three to four hours, rural areas are experiencing load-shedding for up to five hours a day.

As business and domestic consumers continue to suffer, netizens are noting the absence of an official schedule, going on to express concern over a lack of public response and political validation as witnessed over the years.

Some users compared the current situation with previous gas shortages, arguing that public reaction remains limited despite recurring energy crises.

Journalist Arif Hameed Bhatti highlighted the compounding pressures on the public, stating, “Gas used to come occasionally, now electricity is going out repeatedly, petrol has become expensive, due to unprecedented price hikes in everyday items, the majority of the public can’t even afford a full meal, education and health are being privatized to deprive people of basic facilities. How long will this go on?”

Some users turned to humor to cope. One remarked, “We grew up playing ‘light chali gayi, light agayi’. Now ‘gas chali gayi, gas agayi’ has been added to national sport”.

Journalist Muqaddas Farooq Awan noted that if the current situation persists, summers may see worse power shortage.

One user drew attention to what they saw as misplaced priorities, stating, “Pakistan is trying to prevent WW3 and becoming a global peacemaker, and here we are struggling with load shedding, gas shortage, and bad internet. Somebody care to explain what kind of taraqi is this?”

Another user questioned whether ongoing energy disruptions were connected to broader geopolitical tensions, while others highlighted difficulties faced by students preparing for exams and patients relying on stable electricity.

Another spoke of monitoring schedules, saying, “Closely monitoring load shedding schedule and it seems like soon we won’t have electricity at all. Getting hot plate so it can only look at it as there will be no electricity and GAS”.

Some reactions focused on household struggles, with users describing simultaneous electricity and gas outages during daily routines such as preparing meals.

“Start of summer and Pakistanis are already crushed under endless load shedding, peak inflation, extreme poverty, rising instability, and skyrocketing debt. This isn’t governance, it’s neglect at the highest level,” wrote one.

A number of posts also highlighted the financial burden of alternative energy solutions, with users saying even solar setups have not fully offset rising electricity bills.