Energy crisis: Power protests stir trouble in Faisalabad, Lahore

Death reported in industry hub as protesters ransack public property, power company offices in both cities.

FAISALABAD/ LAHORE/ KARACHI:

Protests against prolonged power outages raged across Lahore and Faisalabad on Thursday.

In Faisalabad, hundreds of industrial, power loom workers along with the factory owners and industrialists pelted Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) headquarters with stones, forcing Fesco authorities to cease daily activities.

The protesters looted shops and attacked vehicles en route to the Fesco HQ. The demonstrations took a grisly turn when a protester was shot dead with two others sustaining serious bullet wounds during an attack on a private car at the Jaranwala Road intersection.

The procession was shot at by four gunmen attempting to rescue the car’s owner.  The owner reportedly called for help after being attacked by the protesters. The gunmen tried to disperse the violent protesters with aerial fire initially, but opened direct fire on the crowd after finding it ineffective.

Three protesters, identified as Ejaz, Shahid and Aqeel, were injured by the fire and were shifted to Allied Hospital. Ejaz succumbed to his injuries, while the other two are stated to be in a critical condition.

The four assailants succeeded in rescuing the car owner and escaping from the scene.

According to Peoples Colony SHO Rana Asim, no case against the assailants has been registered since “no formal complaint has been received yet on behalf of the deceased.”

In Lahore, more than 600 people, led by the traders’ wing of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), attacked a Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) office at Grand Trunk Road, damaging furniture and installations and tearing up records. The protesters also made an unsuccessful attempt to set the office on fire.

An attempt by protesters to enter a Lesco office at Sheikhupura Road was thwarted after it was immediately closed down. An FIR against the violent protesters has been in the Shahdara Town police station.

SI Muhammad Alam of Shahdara Town police station said that the protest, which continued for two hours, got violent after some 50 minutes. He said that protesters marched towards the Lesco office and forced their entry inside. He said that, due to the large number of protesters, no Lesco official tried to stop them from entering. He said that, after vandalising the office, they also tried to burn it down. He said that an FIR has been lodged against identified protestors.

On their way to the Lesco offices, protesters also vandalised a toll plaza at the Ravi Bridge, destroying the CCTV cameras installed to monitor traffic.

The PML-N’s traders wing claimed their peaceful protests had been hijacked by miscreants who were responsible for damaging public property.

Power crisis to be resolved soon: President

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the government realised the enormity of the energy shortage challenge and was determined to overcome it in the shortest possible time.

“No matter what successes we may have achieved in the political field, in empowering provinces, in constitutional reforms and fighting the militants, the people will judge us by the measure of success in overcoming the power shortages,” he said while addressing party MPAs from Sindh at Bilawal House in Karachi.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM NEWS DESK)

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2012.