WorldCall office in Karachi set ablaze
According to initial reports, four men stormed the office – located near Do Talwar in Karachi’s Clifton locality – moments before iftar. Witnesses said the gunmen forced employees at the office outside and then set fire to the premises.
Subsequently, firefighters from the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) reached the scene and after hectic efforts, managed to put the fire out. According to fire brigade officials, two firefighting vehicles were dispatched. They said the flames soon spread due to the presence of wooden furniture and fittings at the office.
WorldCall had received several threats earlier, Daily Express quoted the cable service’s employees as saying. They said they had complained about the threats to police earlier, but had received no extra security.
Talking to reporters following the incident, Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (COAP) chairman Khalid Arain condemned the attack and demanded increased protection for cable operators across the country. He said cable operators were under threat because they were airing Geo network channels.
“We are facing multiple threats from various groups, but the government has failed to provide us adequate security,” Arain said, adding that they could not carry on their business under such circumstances.
He pointed out another attack on cable operators took place on Friday. “Unidentified men tried to set a cable system in Rahimyar Khan on fire, but police are still unfazed,” he said.
Meanwhile, police have initiated an inquiry into the WorldCall office attack. Clifton SHO Ghazala Parveen said police officials were trying to obtain footage from CCTV cameras installed in the building and would make composite sketches of the suspects with the help of eyewitnesses.
No case has been registered so far, though.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2014.
COMMENTS (10)
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no need to abuse you , improve your system people will stop abusing you.
my deep sympathies are with world call. i do have internet in office ,but i installed at home ...the biggest mistake i made....t.v is ok.....but when i started using net it disconnects after 5 minutes...no one bothers so we stopped complaining.
may Allah help you to increase yopur service in karachi specially in DHA....majority are fed up and inshallah i will get rid of this sick system.
Consumers/Viewers should have right to view channels of their choice,Cable operators themselves shouldn't ban any channel due to their vested interest. If consumer dislikes a channel he'll simply switch to another channel using his remote.
Nothing to do with terrorism.. WC was airing Geo in its original channel location and was punished for it.
Pakistan is trapped by the same extremist ethos that their 'wise men' believed will wrest Kashmir from India. Turns out, Pakistan will be lucky to leave with a shirt still on its back. "Pakistan Studies" zindabad !!
@Ahmad The blame on Saudis and Qataris is legitimate and due to the funding and poisonous ideologies that they supply to militants in Pakistan.
@Wizarat why we keep blaming others for every negative thing that we do? GCC did this, India/Israel/USA did that.. Are we a nation or a football that everyone is kicking us here and there? isnt there any decision making capability left in our leaders or citizens?
@wizarat: How careless and easy it is to lay blame on Saudi an Qatar for your own short comings. Its like you yourself are unable to play and lay the blame on the people watching the match
This is what Pakistan has become and Island for the terrorist from all over the world. thanks to the money that is coming from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and GCC countries. They have moved all of their unwanted criminals to other countries such as Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. Until Pakistan started punishing the so called Ulamas for giving irresponsible Fatwas nothing would change as most of the illiterate masses are just that Illiterate masses.