Pakistan's Power Division has issued a public apology for extended electricity outages after blackouts significantly exceeded the two-and-a-quarter hours per day the government had previously promised consumers. Officials attributed the disruption to a sharp overnight drop in hydropower output — a fall of nearly 2,000 megawatts — which contributed to a total supply shortfall of around 4,500 megawatts against peak demand of approximately 18,000 megawatts. The decline was caused by reduced water releases from the country's dams, linked to lower irrigation demand following recent rainfall and the harvest season, and the government said it expected the situation to ease in coming days as reservoir outflows increase.