Pakistan begins daylight saving time to battle power shortage

Islamabad: Pakistan switches an hour ahead on Sunday, as the country strives to solve its acute electricity shortage.

Pakistan time has now moved to six hours ahead of GMT, adding an extra hour of daylight in the evenings.

In an attempt to save power, shops will close earlier, at 9pm, and offices have been ordered to save electricity by leaving air conditioning off for three hours at the start of the day.

This is Pakistan's second attempt at switching time. The first, in 2002, was abandoned as people did not accustom to the change.

Pakistan is facing a significant lack of power, with load-shedding practised several times during the day.

The government is planning on generating an extra 6,000 MW of power to help with the shortages, Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said.

However, power cuts will likely worsen as summer continues.