A protest sparked by an extended power outage in Karachi’s Punjab Colony on Saturday brought traffic across the city to a grinding halt, highlighting Pakistan’s persistent problems with governance and energy management, according to Dawn.
Residents of a 10-storey building housing 80 flats blocked a key road near Punjab Chowrangi after enduring more than 24 hours without electricity. Power had reportedly been out since 11 am on Friday, and repeated complaints to K-Electric, Karachi’s sole power supplier, went unanswered.
The ensuing sit-in heavily jammed Defence Road and surrounding areas. Large convoys of tankers and trucks essential for Karachi Port operations were halted from Qayyumabad to the KPT Flyover. Large intersections such as Boat Basin, Gizri, and Hino Chowrangi were also jammed, with thousands of commuters left stranded, reported Dawn.
The blackout was attributed to K-Electric’s anti-theft campaign in the adjacent P&T Colony. Protesters claimed that in the exercise, legal connections were also cut without proper procedure. KE responded by referring to demonstrators as ‘miscreants’ attempting to reconnect illegal supply lines and accused their teams of being attacked while conducting the operation, allegedly a cable TV network. There was no evidence produced that all the affected residents were involved in power pilferage.
While K-Electric later claimed that electricity had been partially restored, the bigger problem remains unresolved. The incident brings to light chronic problems for Pakistan in having a secure power supply, coupled with antiquated infrastructure and lack of accountability in the energy market. As pointed out by Dawn, the crisis is not just that of one blackout but is indicative of more profound issues which still hang over ordinary citizens.
