KARACHI: KESC files report on streetlights controversy
By Hasan Mansoor
KARACHI, Oct 23: The government has got a detailed report from the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation and video footages from private TV channels to settle the controversy about the turning off of streetlights at the time of the twin suicide bomb blast here last week that killed 139 people and injured hundreds others.
“We have already got a detailed report from the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation,” Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan told Dawn on Tuesday.
Dr Ibad was talking about the repeated questions raised by PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and other party leaders asking why the streetlights were turned off moments before the suicide bombers launched their attack on Ms Bhutto’s homecoming parade near Karsaz Road.
“KESC officials have submitted a report to us in which they have given the reasons for turning off of streetlights at some places,” said Dr Ibad.
Giving details about the report filed by the KESC, the governor said the power utility had reported that its system experienced a fault at one point on the route of the procession, which was immediately rectified.
“At another place,” he quoted the report, “it said the KESC was experiencing a longstanding fault for the last one-and-a-half months and which had not been rectified yet.”
Besides, said Dr Ibad, experts had also got footages from TV channels and the videos recorded by the Special Branch to examine whether the reservations expressed by the PPP leadership had substance.
“We have reports that the streetlights were there from the Natha Khan bridge onwards,” said Dr Ibad.
Ms Bhutto, in one of her interviews to the media, said that security officials in the procession could not spot the suicide bombers because at the time of the blasts the streetlights were off. She has demanded a detailed inquiry into the matter to unearth ‘the conspiracy’.
“We are making sincere efforts to settle the issue with detailed inquiries,” said Dr Ibad.
