The protesters, including children and women, staged sit-ins and demonstrations. PHOTO: FILE
The protesters, including children and women, staged sit-ins and demonstrations in Liaquatabad, North Karachi, Essa Nagri, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Baldia Town, Malir, Green Town, Orangi Town, Keamari, Federal B Area and Shirin Jinnah Colony areas, blocking the roads for several hours.
In North Karachi, what began as a peaceful protest against the power utility as well as the provincial government quickly turned violent as the protestors started burning tyres on roads, pelting vehicles with stones and damaging signboards as well as public property. The protesters also set a K-Electric's maintenance vehicle ablaze and assaulted the utility's staff.
"The load-shedding and disruption in power supply has become the K-Electric's way of cumulative punishment," complained Muhammad Shamshad, one of the protestors.
The protests caused a massive traffic jam on the city's main arteries, including Sharae Faisal, with long queues of vehicles, buses and trucks stuck on both sides of the carriage way.
In order to control the situation, contingents of law enforcers, including police and Rangers, were called to the affected areas but they appeared unperturbed by the situation.
"It is their right to protest and unless they resort to violence we, too, are with them," said North Karachi DSP Altaf Hussain.
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