Pakistan celebrated its 62nd Independence Day on Friday, August 14, 2009. With Independence resolutions and other things, this day will be remembered special in Peshawar as it promised the first night in the summer this year when the residents of Peshawar had a night of uninterrupted sleep – the electric power being steady throughout the night.

Throughout the summer, load shedding has been the leading problem of Pakistan, especially in rural areas and the less developed/well-off locations of big cities. In Peshawar, 6 to 8 hours of rolling blackouts has been the routine for the past three months. During the night, lights go out at least three times, interfering with sleep. The situation in the dog days of June, July, and early August is said to have given many people over to psychological disorders due to sleeplessness. In one news post, power crisis was called the second biggest problem – after terrorism – in the country.

It was, however, different at night on August 14. Lights remained lit and fans kept circling, promising a sound sleep throughout the night. The weather, though, remained extremely sultry and had lights gone out, it may have been the most terrible night of the whole summer. But it was a relief that came the way of Peshawariites as a gift of the 62nd Independence Day.