MQM-P announces protest against persistent load-shedding in Karachi tomorrow

F.P. Report

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has announced to protest against the persistent and unannounced load-shedding in the metropolis on Sunday (tomorrow).

MQM-P’s PIB faction convener Dr Farooq Sattar, while addressing a press conference earlier today, said the party will demonstrate outside Karachi Press Club tomorrow to demand an end to the power outages.

Lamenting that the federal and provincial governments had failed to resolve the load-shedding woes, Sattar urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to take notice of power and water issues plaguing the residents of Karachi.

He also vowed to hold demonstrations outside the Chief Minister House and the concerned institutions if the load-shedding issue was not resolved immediately.

Troubled by weeks of prolonged outages, Karachiites took to streets in protest against K-Electric, the city’s sole power production utility, in response to Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) calls for demonstrations against the problem.

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

Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah regretted the recent tussle between K-Electric and Sui Southern Gas Company, saying that it has only resulted in Karachi’s citizens receiving the short end of the stick.

He further suggested that if the federal government could not provide electricity to Karachi populace, then it should hand K-Electric over to the provincial government.

He had also called on all political parties to stage a sit-in outside the PM House in Islamabad over the prevailing power woes in Sindh, particularly Karachi.

PM summons meeting to discuss Karachi’s power crisis

Taking notice of the persistent load-shedding in Karachi, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy on April 23 to discuss the issues.

Since the last few weeks, Karachi has been facing severe load-shedding after K-Electric said the Sui Southern Gas Company has curbed supply of gas and it is thus unable to produce the required amount of power. The gas company, on the other hand, claims K-Electric owes it millions in dues and it will restore supply once the payments are made.

The residents bear the brunt of the tug-of-war as prolonged power cuts have continued to plague Karachi, with previously exempted areas being subjected to six hours of load-shedding every day.

The areas most affected by the ongoing power crisis include blocks 8, 9, 10, 13 and 14 of Federal B Area, C-1, C and No. 10 localities of Liaquatabad, Orangi Town, Korangi, Safoora Goth, Scheme 33, Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Model Colony, New Karachi and North Karachi.