Pakistan Faces Extensive Blackouts as Gas Shortfall Worsens

Pakistan is expecting a streak of power outages as the war in the Middle East chokes its supplies of liquefied natural gas, just as it prepares to host the next round of peace talks between Iran and the US.

The country’s power shortfall touched 4,500 megawatts on Wednesday evening, a time when demand typically peaks, according to the power ministry. That’s about a quarter of total demand.

The South Asian country is facing its biggest energy crisis in years as the war in Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, while Qatar was forced to halt exports at the ...