Load-Shedding ‘Riots’ Strike Karachi Again, Cops Fire Tear Gas Shells at Protesting Residents – News18

Residents in Karachi protested against the electricity department prolonged load-shedding on Wednesday and blocked roads, leading to cops firing tear gas shells at them.

Residents in Karachi’s Lyari blocked both tracks of Mauripur Road and stopped traffic leading to cops baton charging them to clear the road, the Dawn said in a report.

The protest happened outside Dua Hotel with women and children blocking the busy Mauripur Road. Residents were irked as they faced up to 16 hours of load shedding, which exacerbated the ongoing water crisis in the locality.

The residents have said that the protests will continue until power is restored. Lyari is Karachi’s oldest neighbourhood.

Police officers told the Dawn that they were forced to lob tear gas shells and baton-charge the protesters as they allegedly began ‘smashing’ cars and other vehicles on the road.

Karachi, according to the Dawn, is also a stronghold of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) but the local leaders have dissociated from Wednesday’s protest claiming that unknown miscreants and ‘non-political elements’ of Lyari were involved.

K-Electric, which is the main supplier of electricity in the city and adjoining areas, said their load-shedding plan is the same as announced and implemented this March.

It mentioned that load-shedding and maintenance shutdowns were suspended during the recent Eid Ul Azha days, during which consistent power supply was ensured, according to a report by The News International.

“The claim made through the public statement is factually incorrect and does not represent the truth. Engaging in a sensationalised debate to score points by creating a brouhaha based on improper facts and blurring on-ground realities is counterproductive and serves no one,” K-Electric said in a statement.

The Dawn citing an expert said that K-Electric have reason to resort to load-shedding on the pretext of ‘losses’ but it also needed to consider several other factors as well.

He also pointed out that the growth of high-rises in Lyari is also a reason for the civic issues. The expert said that the working-class people of Lyari could not afford such high electricity bills and politicians and social organisations needed to address this issue.

Similar protests were reported last year as well when protests broke out in around 18 localities of Karachi, leading to the death of a 60-year-old woman amid shelling and police baton-charge. The Mauripur Road area which witnessed protests on Wednesday also emerged as a flashpoint last year as well.