Widespread protests erupted in several neighbourhoods of Karachi late Tuesday night as residents, angered by prolonged electricity outages, took to the streets and blocked major roads, triggering severe traffic disruption.
Residents in Liaquatabad and Azizabad staged demonstrations following hours-long power cuts amid soaring temperatures, Express News reported.
Protesters burned tyres and shouted slogans against K-Electric and the government, demanding immediate restoration of power.
At Teen Hatti near Liaquatabad, demonstrators blocked roads leading to Jehangir Road and Ayesha Manzil, causing gridlock from Shahrah-e-Pakistan to Guru Mandir. Long lines of vehicles were seen stranded as commuters faced major delays.
“We have had no power since 7pm. In this heat, with no water either, we had no choice but to protest,” a resident told local media.
Protesters said children and the elderly were suffering due to the lack of electricity, and their repeated complaints to K-Electric went unanswered.
A statement from K-Electric said the outage was caused by a fault in an underground cable in Liaquatabad C-1 area. Technical teams were working to repair the issue, and power would be restored as soon as the fault was fixed, it added.
The company apologised for the inconvenience and urged public cooperation.
The protest at Teen Hatti was eventually called off around 2:30am after power supply was partially restored. Police reopened the blocked roads and restored traffic flow.
A separate protest was also held in Azizabad’s Hussainabad food street area, where residents blocked the road by burning tyres, complaining of severe water shortages due to load shedding.
Protesters said load shedding had reached 14 to 18 hours in some areas, and despite this, electricity bills remained high. They also said that the power outage had led to a water crisis. “The current government has completely altered the city’s condition,” said one protester.
“Every street in Liaquatabad has overflowing sewer lines, the roads have been crumbling for years, street vendors have taken over every road and alley, gas only comes for a few hours and only works with pressure pumps, and electricity disappears for 14 to 18 hours — yet we get electricity bills of Rs 6,000 to 10,000 for a one-room house.”
“There is no such thing as governance in this country anymore,” one protester said. “This city, which sustains the whole of Pakistan, is being treated inhumanely. If the authorities don’t take notice and reset these political performers, Karachi — which is already on the brink — will be destroyed.”
The Station House Officer (SHO) of Azeezabad engaged with the protesters as part of a negotiated approach and assured them that he would speak with authorities to ensure power was restored soon.
Following this assurance, the protesters ended their demonstration, and the road was reopened to traffic.
