#MartialLaw – Memes rain online after Zaid Hamid puts Pakistan on 'high alert' during blackout

Defence commentator and columnist Zaid Hamid gathered quite a lot of unwanted attention last night as Pakistan went through the nationwide blackout by suggesting threats to national security in a tweet where he said, “Power breakdown in entire Pakistan! Pakistan Air force be on red alert! Guys, be ready...!”

Pakistani Twitterati took this by the teeth and proved once again how they deal with such statements – with wit and sarcasm. The hashtag #MartialLaw soon became trending in the country.

Judging from the tweets, we’re sure some of them were pretty upset when the blackout turned out to be just a powerline failure.

Here are some tweets that show how lightly most Pakistani people take conspiracy theories and how they deal with issues like blackouts:

Me after waking up from blackout#blackout#ZaidHamid pic.twitter.com/UEt6I1EhNw

— koki (@Toska_warlord) January 10, 2021

Zaid Hamid, when he enters India or saath hee light ajaye#ZaidHamid pic.twitter.com/gsLPv2poBG

— Owais Orakzai (@owais_orakzai) January 10, 2021

Paf on a lighter note 😉.. Besides We're as a nation grateful to our elders like @ZaidZamanHamid who are always ahead of the scenario being unfolded... SURELY If something had happened then we would've been the one to regret NAUZOBILLAH #ZaidHamid #ThankyouZaidHamid#Blackout pic.twitter.com/xw2g7VM7Vc

— DreamEr (@Muridsays) January 10, 2021

Vibes right now #blackout #MARTIALLAW pic.twitter.com/6NucHHs13V

— Hassan Abdurrehman (@HassanAbdurrehm) January 9, 2021

Imagine switching on TV after light ????️#MARTIALLAW pic.twitter.com/Ym5HHJjSR3

— Rânâ Bîlâl ???? (@Theonly_Bilal69) January 9, 2021

Finally Imran khan introduces Night mode in Naya Pakistan????????✌️#blackout #MARTIALLAW #BlackOutPakistan pic.twitter.com/vBdbi5HHoe

— Ali Afzal Rao (@AliAfzalRao1) January 10, 2021

Poora Mulk #blackout ki baat karte huye
Me : Who was enjoying deep sleep the whole night ___#MARTIALLAW#ZaidHamid pic.twitter.com/tIawCCvYFc

— Junaid Rajput (@realJunaidHassn) January 10, 2021

To kya bas light hi gai the?? ????????????#blackout#BlackoutPakistan#MARTIALLAW pic.twitter.com/ODKE8moLwW

— ماہ نور ???? (@Mahnoor452) January 9, 2021

When I wake up and no #martiallaw is imposed:#blackout #BlackoutPakistan pic.twitter.com/FI4HBSQZeS

— Zikra Ahmed (@ZikraAhmedA) January 9, 2021

Some even compared the Pakistani reaction to the blackout to those of other countries when they face similar situations while others prayed for patients in hospitals and those in need of electricity for health reasons:

In Pakistan we remain calm and composed. We are also used to black outs due to the years of load shedding we suffered and continue to suffer.

Also in times of crisis not only do we make the BEST memes ever, we Pakistanis tend to be amazing at handling tough times as well.

2/3

— Ali Moeen Nawazish (@am_nawazish) January 9, 2021

Everyone please pray for those who are on ventilators #electricity #blackout #BlackOutPakistan pic.twitter.com/n0xtlwsoxJ

— Sayed zeeshan (@SayedZzeeshan) January 10, 2021

A massive power outage was reported late Saturday night from several cities across Pakistan, with electricity remained suspended in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Muzaffargarh, Narowal, Bhakkar, Kabirwala, Khanewal, Bahawalpur and Sukkur for 15 hours.

The breakdown extended as far as Azad Kashmir and Balochistan. Mobile and internet services were also affected due to the breakdown and continued to remain disrupted the next day.

On Sunday morning, Power Minister Omar Ayub said teams are facing difficulties due to heavy fog and the exact reason behind the technical fault will be identified once the fog lifts.