KARACHI:

The roof of a sprawling rice mill in the eastern district of Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi is covered with sky blue solar panels soaking rays under the broiling midday sun.

The mill is one of thousands of industrial units across Pakistan that have shifted to solar energy to counter rising electricity tariffs and frequent power outages in recent years.

The South Asian country of around 255 million people has witnessed a solar uptake, particularly over the past two years, after an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout forced Pakistan to sharply raise power and gas tariffs to support struggling suppliers in the heavily indebted energy sector.

From pharmaceuticals to cement manufacturers in Karachi, to textile units in Faisalabad, and from supermarkets to mosques in La

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