Prevailing power woes: Karachiites take to streets in protest against K-Electric

KARACHI: After being troubled by weeks of prolonged outages, Karachiites took to streets in protest against the K-Electric, the city's sole power production utility, on Friday demanding an end to unannounced load-shedding in the megapolis.

Jamaat-e-Islami organised a protest over prolonged power cuts outside the Karachi Press Club on Friday, which was attended by a large number of citizens troubled by weeks-long outages.

Addressing the protesters, JI Karachi emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced a shutter-down strike in protest against K-Electric on April 27.

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He said that load-shedding was an issue of 25 million people of the city and urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of it.

The JI Karachi emir also criticised Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) saying that the ones who sold the K-Electric were staging protest against it today.

Jamaat-e-Islami had previously announced a protest demonstration on the issue outside the CM House, however, the venue for the sit-in was changed following a meeting between JI leaders and CM Murad Ali Shah.

Earlier in the day, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah said the recent tussle between K-Electric and Sui Southern Gas Company has only resulted in Karachi's citizens receiving the short end of the stick.

Shah said that if the federal government cannot provide electricity to Karachi populace, then it should hand KE over to the provincial government.

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Shah says, the ultimate victims of the tussle between KE and SSGC are citizens of Karachi

A day earlier, the Sindh CM had also suggested all political parties to stage a sit-in outside the PM House in Islamabad over prevailing power woes in Sindh, particularly Karachi.

Responding to Shah's suggestion, Minister for Power Division Awais Leghari said the chief minister should first stop electricity theft in Sukkur and Hyderabad before giving such suggestions.

Also a meeting held between the KE and the Petroleum Division on Friday bore no fruit, as the concerned parties were unable to reach a solution to the power crisis.

Leghari, who chaired the meeting, said later the issue could not be resolved until K-Electric clears rupees 70-80 billion in outstanding dues to SSGC.