Power protests

At a time when the government is being roundly criticised for its reaction to the flash floods, the last thing it needs is to add more fuel to the fire. Yet that is exactly what happened when police in Swabi district started firing at protesters, killing four and injuring 10. The citizens of Topi tehsil were demonstrating against power cuts, which have worsened in recent days as the flooding has shut down electricity generation plants in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, three grid stations have been shut down and two private power plants closed due to the flooding.

The police have claimed that the protesters started firing first while the latter claim they were only throwing stones. In either case, the police response was disproportionate and showed a distinct lack of sympathy for the residents’ plight. Anger at the government’s poor relief efforts is justified and what else are affected citizens’ supposed to do? Street protests are the only outlet they have to give voice to their frustrations. The elected rulers have already forfeited the people’s trust with their inept handling of the flood.

To avoid inflaming the issue, the local administration must order the police not to use disproportionate force in dealing with protesters. It is understood that the disaster in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is unprecedented and so will lead to major disruptions in daily life. While the government must do all it can to ensure those disruptions are minimal, once the crisis has abated there is a dire need to look at the energy policy of the country. The ready of supply of electricity is crucial to the economic development of the province, indeed, of the entire country. And until citizens start receiving electricity for which they pay, there will continue to be fighting in the streets.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2010.