Pressing demands: MEPCO men taken hostage over power disconnection

Team of MEPCO was attacked, detained for removing electricity transformers in Khar area of Fort Munro.

DERA GHAZI KHAN:

A team of Multan Electric Supply Company (MEPCO) was attacked and detained for removing electricity transformers in Khar area of Fort Munro, 85 kilometers from Dera Ghazi Khan.

Hanif, a MEPCO employee, told The Express Tribune the protesters released the men after they were assured that the company would re-install the transformers and resume the power supply.

He said the transformers had been removed on account of power theft. He said the protesters had thrashed MEPCO employees and snatched seven vehicles from them. Khalid, another MEPCO official, said the MEPCO team was held near a border military police (BMP) station but the BMP had not stopped those beating them. A case was registered against 210 men. It was, however, dropped after talks between the tribal people, a MEPCO executive engineer and the police. MEPCO officials in Dera Ghazi Khan staged a protest demonstration and blocked Dera-Quetta road for two hours. They called off the protest after their colleagues were released.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2014.