Trouble in Pakistan’s heartland

FAISALABAD, Pakistan – Standing in the corner of his large factory, textile magnate Mian Aftab Ahmed pondered the future. "I am completely helpless and hopeless," he said. His giant textile machines produce a deafening noise when in full swing, but Ahmed spoke amid pin-drop silence. Since 2007, when Faisalabad started facing crippling shortages of electricity ...

Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

FAISALABAD, Pakistan - Standing in the corner of his large factory, textile magnate Mian Aftab Ahmed pondered the future. "I am completely helpless and hopeless," he said.

FAISALABAD, Pakistan – Standing in the corner of his large factory, textile magnate Mian Aftab Ahmed pondered the future. "I am completely helpless and hopeless," he said.

His giant textile machines produce a deafening noise when in full swing, but Ahmed spoke amid pin-drop silence. Since 2007, when Faisalabad started facing crippling shortages of electricity and natural gas, his factory has been running at 35 to 40 percent of its capacity.

Read the rest of the article here.

Umer Farooq is a journalist based in Islamabad. He specializes in writing on political and security issues.

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