Your megawatts or your life: Politics is about power, and deaths in this case
If we are constantly attacked, we’re ‘powerless’ to help, says KESC to CM.
KARACHI:
Someone must have been telling lies on Friday — when six people were shot dead. Sixteen people were injured and at least a dozen vehicles were set on fire in rioting against power blackouts. The violence started simmering Thursday night ahead of a strike called by the Awami National Party (ANP) in support of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) workers who are the centre of a downsizing dispute.
For its part, the ANP maintained a distance. “The ANP workers are the followers of Bacha Khan Baba’s philosophy of non-violence,” said the party’s Shahi Syed. He recommended that, “KESC should solve the issue with composite dialogue instead of force.”
But there was very little talking. At midnight Thursday attacks were launched at the Clifton Grid Station and Korangi power plant, said KESC in a statement. Up to 15 armed men forced themselves into the Mai Kolachi grid station and pushed out the staff, after which the 27 feeders supplying the greater Defence, Clifton, Keamari areas were shut down. Power went out at Bilawal House, the corps commander’s house, Ziauddin Hospital. Over two dozen union activists captured the entrance to the Korangi Thermal Power Station. Police and Rangers had to remove them. On Friday, KESC said union members damaged two feeders near Mazaar-e-Quaid and another group forced the call centre at Civic Centre to close.
As the arson spread, the chief minister summoned a meeting. But even though there was some talking done there, nothing much came of it. KESC demanded the police crack down on protesters but failed to provide the police chiefs any evidence against the union workers they were blaming for the attacks.
“It seems as if KESC has somehow been reacting unreasonably,” said Shazia Marri, the minister for power, who was at the table. KESC’s CEO Tabish Gauhar was absent from the meeting but is said to attend another one likely to be held today. The chief minister said he was going to call Federal Minister for Power Naveed Qamar to intervene.
There was more talk in the Sindh Assembly but none of it had any effect on the violence. In fact, Opposition Leader Jam Madad Ali and Minister for Katchi Abadis Rafique Engineer condoned the violence by saying that the sackings and breakdowns were forcing people to protest every day. “It is a peaceful movement by KESC workers who have nothing to do with creating a law and order situation and tripping feeders,” the minister said.
The worst violence-hit area was near Al Asif Square. “Only God can do something about these [ethnic group members]. They’re totally nuts. You can’t get anything into their heads,” said Sohrab Goth DSP Iftikhar Lodhi. “We spoke to their elders the previous night and tried to reason that they shouldn’t turn violent because their neighbourhood would get a bad reputation. But then they started up again. When we reminded them of their promise, they shrugged and said that after all, they had to show their party was worth something.” The police made frantic phone calls to the elders to beseech them to call back the men from the streets but no one responded. They went to their houses but no one was in. “We told their families that if they’re man enough they should face us.”
On Friday, scores of men blocked traffic on the Super Highway after setting on fire at least four vehicles, including two trucks. They grappled with the Rangers and police. One Rangers jawan, Mumtaz Ahmed, and SI Nawaz Lashari and ASI Khadim Hussain were wounded. Ahmed died later at Jinnah hospital.
In Nazimabad No. 7, armed men shot at the car of EDO Health Dr Nasir, who narrowly escaped. Punjabi Pakhtoon Ittehad’s leader Malik Ayub Awan also escaped an attack in Mohammad Ali Housing Society.
Three ambulances were attacked and a driver was beaten in Orangi Town.
Karachi police chief Saud Mirza told The Express Tribune that the violence mainly heated up in areas such as Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Safoora, Sacchal, Super Highway, Quaidabad, Korangi, Mobina Town - the East zone - where the ANP is strong.
About 63 suspects have been detained. “There will be a problem when the police conduct raids and arrest people linked to political parties and involved in the violence,” he said. “We will do this with the help of the detained suspects.”
with additonal reporting by sohail khattak
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2011.
Someone must have been telling lies on Friday — when six people were shot dead. Sixteen people were injured and at least a dozen vehicles were set on fire in rioting against power blackouts. The violence started simmering Thursday night ahead of a strike called by the Awami National Party (ANP) in support of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) workers who are the centre of a downsizing dispute.
For its part, the ANP maintained a distance. “The ANP workers are the followers of Bacha Khan Baba’s philosophy of non-violence,” said the party’s Shahi Syed. He recommended that, “KESC should solve the issue with composite dialogue instead of force.”
But there was very little talking. At midnight Thursday attacks were launched at the Clifton Grid Station and Korangi power plant, said KESC in a statement. Up to 15 armed men forced themselves into the Mai Kolachi grid station and pushed out the staff, after which the 27 feeders supplying the greater Defence, Clifton, Keamari areas were shut down. Power went out at Bilawal House, the corps commander’s house, Ziauddin Hospital. Over two dozen union activists captured the entrance to the Korangi Thermal Power Station. Police and Rangers had to remove them. On Friday, KESC said union members damaged two feeders near Mazaar-e-Quaid and another group forced the call centre at Civic Centre to close.
As the arson spread, the chief minister summoned a meeting. But even though there was some talking done there, nothing much came of it. KESC demanded the police crack down on protesters but failed to provide the police chiefs any evidence against the union workers they were blaming for the attacks.
“It seems as if KESC has somehow been reacting unreasonably,” said Shazia Marri, the minister for power, who was at the table. KESC’s CEO Tabish Gauhar was absent from the meeting but is said to attend another one likely to be held today. The chief minister said he was going to call Federal Minister for Power Naveed Qamar to intervene.
There was more talk in the Sindh Assembly but none of it had any effect on the violence. In fact, Opposition Leader Jam Madad Ali and Minister for Katchi Abadis Rafique Engineer condoned the violence by saying that the sackings and breakdowns were forcing people to protest every day. “It is a peaceful movement by KESC workers who have nothing to do with creating a law and order situation and tripping feeders,” the minister said.
The worst violence-hit area was near Al Asif Square. “Only God can do something about these [ethnic group members]. They’re totally nuts. You can’t get anything into their heads,” said Sohrab Goth DSP Iftikhar Lodhi. “We spoke to their elders the previous night and tried to reason that they shouldn’t turn violent because their neighbourhood would get a bad reputation. But then they started up again. When we reminded them of their promise, they shrugged and said that after all, they had to show their party was worth something.” The police made frantic phone calls to the elders to beseech them to call back the men from the streets but no one responded. They went to their houses but no one was in. “We told their families that if they’re man enough they should face us.”
On Friday, scores of men blocked traffic on the Super Highway after setting on fire at least four vehicles, including two trucks. They grappled with the Rangers and police. One Rangers jawan, Mumtaz Ahmed, and SI Nawaz Lashari and ASI Khadim Hussain were wounded. Ahmed died later at Jinnah hospital.
In Nazimabad No. 7, armed men shot at the car of EDO Health Dr Nasir, who narrowly escaped. Punjabi Pakhtoon Ittehad’s leader Malik Ayub Awan also escaped an attack in Mohammad Ali Housing Society.
Three ambulances were attacked and a driver was beaten in Orangi Town.
Karachi police chief Saud Mirza told The Express Tribune that the violence mainly heated up in areas such as Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Safoora, Sacchal, Super Highway, Quaidabad, Korangi, Mobina Town - the East zone - where the ANP is strong.
About 63 suspects have been detained. “There will be a problem when the police conduct raids and arrest people linked to political parties and involved in the violence,” he said. “We will do this with the help of the detained suspects.”
with additonal reporting by sohail khattak
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2011.