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Frustrated Karachiite face police action against protesting intolerable load-shedding

KARACHI: The Karachi police on Tuesday used tear gas and baton-charged protesting residents of Lyari near the Mauripur road, who took to the streets against K-Electric for carrying out unannounced and prolonged power loadshedding and frequent breakdowns.

The demonstrators, who have been protesting since last night, burnt tyres and blocked the road for traffic — which links the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and SITE industrial areas.

Frustrated with K-Electric’s prolonged and unscheduled power load-shedding, residents of Lyari and its adjourning areas continued their protest on the Mauripur Road for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, causing massive traffic jams across the city.

The traffic on the city’s key artery has been suspended for over 15 hours. Besides patients, women were the worst affected by the massive traffic jam.

Clashes erupted between the police and the protesters when the officials tried to restore traffic on the road on Tuesday. The police baton-charged the protesters to disperse them. Meanwhile, the stone-pelting by the protesters left one police personnel injured.

Police in action against those people were protesting against failure of power supply.

On the other hand, the police took at least four protesters into custody. Following the clashes with the police, a large number of protesters again blocked the road.

Long queues of vehicles could be seen on the Hub River Road from Naval Colony to Agra Taj Colony and Gulbai to Siemens Chowrangi.

However, at 11am today, the police baton-charged the protesters after they refused to vacate the main road. Footage on DawnNewsTV showed police commandos firing tear gas at the demonstrators who were chanting slogans against the power utility management and demanding restoration of supply.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asif Bughio, the residents dispersed for a while after the police action but resumed the protest shortly after.

KARACHI: Police and residents clash on Mauripur Road in Karachi, on June 28, as residents of the area staged a protest against prolonged load-shedding.

Electricity in several areas of Lyari, particularly the one adjacent to Mauripur road, has been suspended since 4pm yesterday, he said.

“Due to prolonged disruption in the power supply, hundreds of residents blocked the road for hours,” the officer told Dawn.com, adding that the police tried to negotiate with them but they attacked the law enforcers with stones.

Bughio said that they have reached out to the KE management to “placate” the protesters and prevent the situation from escalating. He added that their first priority was to resolve the issue through talks.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the traffic police said that the protest had created an immense traffic load near the Jinnah Bridge and MT Khan Road.

PTI leaders criticised the police action, with former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry chiding the PPP-led Sindh government that “they are your own people”.

KARACHI: Law enforcers use tear gas against residents of Lyari.

Separately, protests against water shortages were also reported from other parts of the metropolis early on Tuesday morning. According to traffic police, the residents of Liaquatabad’s Dak Khana, Shah Faisal Colony 2 and Kala Pul took to the streets.

In the wee hours of the day, a large number of Lines Areas residents also came out on main Sharea Faisal and blocked the key road near Gora Qabristan.

They blamed the KE for keeping their supply off for 13 hours. Shouting slogans against the power utility management and demanding restoration of their supply, the protest caused a traffic jam on one track of the arterial Sharea Faisal.

Earlier, a Dawn report stated that people were facing 12 to 14 hours of power outages in extremely hot weather, which had made their lives miserable.

KARACHI: Police baton-charge protesters at Mauripur Road in Karachi.

Yesterday, residents from Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Surjani Town, New Karachi, Federal B. Area, F. C Area, Burnes Road, Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, Baldia Town, Manghopir, Orangi Town, Landhi, Shah Faisal Colony, Model Colony, Shaheed-i-Millat Road, Khokhrapar, PECHS, Mehmoodabad, and Defence View apartments said that the KE was carrying out unannounced loadshedding for hours in their areas.

Students appearing in intermediate exams were also affected by the prolonged loadshedding as they had to take their papers in hot and humid weather. They were also unable to prepare for their exams because of multiple spells of loadshedding during the day and at night.

Imran Khan reacts to police excesses

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister on Tuesday belabored the government for using the police against the people protesting against prolonged power outages in Karachi.

Addressing the people virtually from his Islamabad residence Bani Gala in a live broadcast, he said that the government imposed through US-backed conspiracy has put people’s lives in extremis. He said the people are unable to comprehend what has happened to the country in just two months after the toppling of PTI’s government.

The ex-prime minister said the people are taking to the roads today against load-shedding asking “where has the electricity gone?”

Criticizing the use of power on people, he said that in a democratic society, staging protest is a way to convey their grievances to the government. He said the country can generate electricity as per requirement but the government, due to mismanagement, doesn’t have the money to pay the power plants.

Imran Khan said the country was on the track towards achieving sustainable growth, but the coalition government has destroyed it in merely two months.

He asked, “You [ruling coalition] put so many efforts in the conspiracy [against PTI] but what did you give to people?”

PTI chairman said the democracy doesn’t function using force but morals. He invited the people to take to the roads in their respective cities on July 2 when the PTI would stage a power show in Islamabad.

Commenting on Turn Around Conference (TAC) being organized by the government to gather ideas for steering Pakistan out of prevailing crisis, Imran Khan said the country would come out of crisis only if half of Zardari and Sharif’s wealth parked abroad is repatriated to Pakistan.

He once again urged the people to stage peaceful protests in their respective cities this weekend as it would display their mood that they are not ready to accept a brute government.

Addressing Punjab Police and bureaucracy, the former prime minister said the faces of the police personnel who followed illegal orders of the Punjab government during PTI’s Azadi March are available.