'Tragedy' Pakistan has nukes but no power

Pakistan's incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday admitted it was a "tragedy" that a country with a nuclear arsenal was crippled by chronic electricity shortages.
Years of mismanagement, underinvestment and corruption in the power sector have led to Pakistanis suffering blackouts of up to 20 hours a day in the blistering heat of summer, when temperatures reach up to 50 Celsius.
Sharif vowed to build new power plants to tackle the problem, which acts as a huge drag on the economy, shaving up to four percent off GDP according to the Planning Commission, but he warned there would be no quick fix.
In a speech marking the 15th anniversary of Pakistan's first succesful nuclear weapons test, Sharif -- who was prime minister at the time -- said it was shameful that the country struggled so badly just to keep the lights on.
"It's a tragedy that a country with atomic weapons is deprived of electricity and has no electricity for even 20 hours a day. How can a country develop in such a situation?" he said.
The hated power cuts, known euphemistically as "loadshedding", were arguably the single biggest voter complaint in the runup to the May 11 general election, which Sharif's party won -- a far bigger daily concern than Taliban violence.
Wealthy steel magnate Sharif said his government would build more dams to exploit Pakistan's huge hydroelectric potential, as well as more coal-fired power stations, and would seek help from allies China and Turkey.