Pakistan: Shopkeepers protest, burn power company vehicle

KARACHI: Angry shopkeepers in Saddar set fire to a KESC vehicle, after yet another long power outage in the area, Thursday.

According to the shopkeepers on Abdullah Haroon road, many of the markets had been without electricity all morning, following which at about 2 p.m. most of them decided to close their shops and take to the streets.



Violence erupted two hours into this protest as shopkeepers started pelting stones at police mobiles and other vehicles. The protesters then set fire to tyres as a group of enraged men also set ablaze a KESC complaint truck.

The police were forced to use tear gas and retaliate with stones, however they failed to curtail the violence, which continued throughout the evening. A situation of attack and counter-attack resulted between the police and the protesters, as either party began to take cover when the other attacked and then launch its own attack when they felt relatively safe.

Daily Times