Darkness boils over as power protest turns fiery

K-Electric says that a substantial amount in unpaid electricity bills was outstanding in the area

KARACHI:

A two-day power outage in Mochko Goth pushed frustrated residents to the brink on Sunday, with a protest erupting into road blockades, motorcycles being set ablaze and an attack on a petrol pump, forcing police and Rangers to step in as tensions soared on Hub River Road.

Residents took to the streets against prolonged electricity outages, blocking Hub River Road with barricades and severely disrupting traffic on the key artery.

The protest soon turned volatile, with demonstrators setting a motorcycle on fire and damaging a petrol pump, prompting authorities to summon heavy contingents of police from Mochko Goth and other nearby police stations. Rangers personnel also reached the scene as tensions mounted.

Keamari SSP Singhar Malik said the protesters were eventually removed from Hub River Road following negotiations, allowing traffic to resume.

The protesters said electricity had been suspended in their area for two days, leaving residents without power for an extended period.

According to the SSP, K-Electric officials were initially unwilling to restore the electricity supply. The power utility, however, maintained that a substantial amount in unpaid electricity bills was outstanding in the area.

Police said normal traffic flow was restored after negotiations, while police and Rangers personnel remained deployed in the area to maintain law and order.