Court accepts request for settlement between KE, amputee’s family

KARACHI: The case of an eight-year-old losing his limbs was settled on Wednesday by a court in Karachi after the victim's family and K-Electric (KE) said they had reached an agreement.

KE representatives and parents of the minor, Muhammad Umer, also informed the court that copies of the settlement had been submitted to the Sindh High Court (SHC).



The Malir additional district and sessions judge accepted the request for a settlement between the parties and ordered those arrested in the case be released on bail. The judge said if KE violates the agreement, the court could be approached again.

Umer's arms had to be amputated after a high-tension wire fell on him outside his home on the third day of Eidul Azha. When the wire fell on Umer, he tried to remove it with his other hand, but the high voltage quickly gripped his body and caused severe burns on both arms.

According to his family, Umer was on the way to get groceries when the incident took place. His parents rushed him to the Burns Center at Civil hospital where he underwent surgery. While the doctors were successful in saving the child's life, both his arms had to be amputated.



After the incident, a KE spokesperson said, "As per preliminary investigations, the incident was a consequence of the pervasive kunda wires to extract power through illegal infrastructure by some other elements where this unfortunate incident took place and the innocent child got injured."

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2018.