Electricity woes: Masked men open fire on KESC office in N Nazimabad

Attack occurs late Thursday night, no injuries reported.

KARACHI:

Tension gripped North Nazimabad following an attack on a Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) complaint centre in Block-K late Thursday night. Two unidentified men on motorcycles opened fire at the main gate of the Abu Zar maintenance centre, however its employees had gone home and no one was injured in the attack. The police reached the spot after the incident but could not prevent the culprits from escaping.

Residents told The Express Tribune that the culprits were seen during the day but their faces were masked and hence could not be identified. The street where the complaint centre is located remains quiet during the night and no one stays at the office because of the KESC labour union strike.

“People are suffering because of prolonged power breakdowns and closure of complaint centres,” said Ishtiaq Ahmed, a resident who condoned the attack. “This shall definitely force people to resort to violence.” However, Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan SHO Arif Razzaq said that power outages are a routine matter but did not justify people attacking complaint centres. “The incident might have happened due to the ongoing dispute between the KESC management and its labour union,” he said. Razzaq added that no first information report of the incident was registered and the situation in Nazimabad had returned to normal.

Striking employees return to work

A press release issued by KESC on Friday claimed that many employees have returned to work following a call by KESC CEO Tabish Gauhar on Wednesday. The power utility company, in its statement, said that the employees personally contacted the management to express their support and solidarity and to help settle all outstanding complaints and faults. The majority of the returning workers are field staff and technicians, who are vital to the rectification of faults. The employees have opposed the union’s excesses and said that the strike’s objectives should have been achieved peacefully and not through subversive acts and threats as the union is practicing.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2011.