Repeated attack: Electricity pylon survives low-intensity blast

This was the second attack on the tower this year.

BATTAGRAM: Militants attempted to blow up an electricity pylon in a village in Battagram, said the police on Tuesday. However, the blast was not powerful enough to cause much structural damage.

Officials said in the early hours of Tuesday, unidentified miscreants planted explosive material beneath the power pylon.

The electricity tower carries the main transmission line from Khan Khwar hydropower project to the national grid station near Kas Pul in Maidan. According to the police, the pylon was not completely destroyed in the blast since the explosive device used was of low intensity. Power supply to the grid station remained uninterrupted.

The Battagram police registered a case against unidentified culprits under sections of the Explosives Act and Anti-Terrorism Act. A search operation was launched but no one was arrested till the filing of this report.

This is the second time the same tower has been targeted by unidentified perpetrators. The first attack occurred on March 1 and resulted in the suspension of power to Battagram, Torghar and parts of Mansehra. However, the Water and Power Development Authority later replaced the damaged pylon. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2014.