At a standstill: Demonstrations against power outages continue in Tank

Eight protesters released, four nominated in FIR.

DI KHAN: A large number of protesters gathered at Kashmir Chowk in Tank on Tuesday to demand the release of 12 people who were arrested during a tussle with police at the Pesco office the previous day.

Earlier on Monday, residents took to the streets against unscheduled power outages in the city and ransacked the Pesco office. Following the incident, Section 144 was imposed in the city. This clause prohibits a gathering of over four people at one place for rallies and also bans carrying weapons.

During Tuesday’s protests, clashes erupted between the protesters and law-enforcement personnel. A police official was injured after he was pelted with a stone. Police then resorted to tear gas to disperse the protesters.

However, the demonstrators only decided to halt their protest once the district government announced it would release eight of the 12 people who were taken into custody. The decision was taken during a meeting between district government officials and representatives of the protesting groups.

The other four persons have been nominated in an FIR regarding the incident and are still in custody, a police official told The Express Tribune.

They have been identified as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) city secretary Abdul Rehman, and Salam Gul, Pir Salim Shah and Kalimullah, who are members of the Tank Welfare Society.

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Asmatullah, a resident who participated in Tuesday’s demonstration, said federal minister Abid Sher Ali has repeatedly promised that the city will only experience six hours of power outages.

“These promises are false as we have load-shedding for 20 hours a day,” he said. “Our routine has been disturbed because of this.” Residents have threatened to resume their protests if the issue is not resolved.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.