Millions of Pak homes face gas shortage after rebel attacks

Supplies from the state-run Sui gas plant in Baluchistan have been disrupted since Tuesday when rockets damaged a purification plant.

"We are facing acute shortage of gas supply and are forced to implement a 14-hour load management schedule for gas consumers in Sindh province," said a spokesman for gas distribution company, Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Ltd.

Under the programme gas supply to residential areas in Pakistan's most populous city of Karachi would be suspended for a certain period of time daily, spokesman Inayatullah Ismail said.

Similar cuts would affect other cities and towns in the province, he said.

The central province of Punjab was facing a shortage of 460 million cubic feet in its daily requirement of 1,650 million cubic feet, said Naeem Khan, spokesman for the distribution firm, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd.

"We have cut off gas supplies to big industrial units like fertilizers and power-houses in order to cope with the shortfall," he told AFP.

Trouble erupted in Sui after a woman doctor working at gas company hospital was gangraped allegedly by security men early this month.

Enraged by the alleged rape tribesman heavily rocketted the gas complex for several days.

Paramilitary troops searched more houses on Saturday for weapons in villages around the Sui town, but there were no reports of any arrests, officials said.