Monday, September 25 2006 10:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: An unprecedented power failure across Pakistan today (Sept 25, 2006) sparked rumours of a coup to unseat President Pervez Musharraf who in on an 18-day foreign tour.

All power grids in different parts of Pakistan failed at once this afternoon (1415 IST) which was regarded by the power officials as the first-ever incident of its kind in Pakistan's history.

One grid after another tripped leaving the officials in the power department in a quandry and panic.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the blackout occured when a main distribution line short-circuited during routine maintenance, adding the power utility has been ordered to carry out an investigation.

Power has since been restored in capital Islamabad after over a two-hour breakdown but most of the other cities in Pakistan reeled under power failure with hospitals and business houses switching over to generators.

As power board officials appeared on TV channels to explain that the failure was due to a technical fault, Islamabad was abuzz with rumours that a Thailand-style coup has taken place.

Media offices were flooded with calls, making a number of newsmen to rush out to the main thoroughfares in the capital to check whether any military activity was taking place.