KARACHI: The protest against load-shedding in Karachi’s Mauripur area — which has continued for almost a day — turned violent Tuesday after the residents clashed with law enforcement agencies (LEAs), leaving a policeman and several protesters injured.
The negotiations between the protesters and police are underway, but they have yet to reach an agreement on calling off the demonstration despite the passage of 23 hours, resulting in the blockage of traffic on a route that connects to the port.
Traffic from the ICI bridge to the Lyari Expressway has been suspended. A major traffic jam caused by a long queue of large trailers and trucks also blocked the road connecting the ICI bridge to the SITE area and Mauripur Road.
The protesters said that the area is witnessing constant load-shedding despite them paying their utility dues.
The police and Rangers personnel tried to get the situation under control, however, the protesters did not go on the back foot and pelted stones at them.
Sources in the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) told Geo News that the country’s supply is 22,500 megawatts, while the demand is 28,000 megawatts, leaving a shortfall of 5,500 megawatts — this has led to several hours of power outages.
In Karachi’s Gadap Town, the load-shedding time has gone up to 18 hours in a day, while Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, Surjani Town, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, areas around Jahangir Road, Sultanabad and Kala Pul, among some other areas, are seeing power outages of 14 hours or more.
Police have so far arrested four protesters and used water cannons to disperse them.
A day earlier, people took to the streets in Teen Hatti, Saddar Preedy Street, Jubilee Market, Shah Faisal Colony, Surjani Town, University Road, MT Khan Road, Nishtar Road, and 14 other areas of the metropolis.
In a statement, City SSP Asif Bughio rejected reports that an elderly woman died after getting injured during the protests.
He said that the woman was of 70 years and the police were in contact with the deceased’s family for conducting her post-mortem.
“There is a power outage of more than 12 hours in the area. The residents are demanding that an FIR should be registered against her death,” the SSP said.
Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, meanwhile, contacted KE chief executive Moonis Alvi. He noted that load-shedding has made the lives of people miserable and demanded the power utility resolve the crisis on an emergency basis.
“Due to persistent load-shedding, the security situation is deteriorating,” he told the KE official, calling on the federal government to clear the dues of the power utility as it “does not have the funds to produce power through furnace oil”.
Apart from Karachi, the load-shedding situation is also getting worse in Punjab as approximately six to eight hours of power outages are taking place across the province, while in the rural areas, electricity is being provided for only a few hours.
A day earlier, while addressing MNAs from the PML-N and allied parties, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned the country might face increased load-shedding in the coming month of July.
Pakistan is facing an escalation of its power crisis after it failed to agree on a deal for natural gas supply next month. Tenders for July were scrapped due to high price, and low participation as the nation is already taking action to tackle widespread blackouts.
