KARACHI: Locked and bolted stands the only public telephone at the General Post Office; and the many people who come to make a telephone call have no other telephone to turn to — at least nearby [July 2].

The bright white words painted on the blackened glass on the door read ‘Telephone Public Call Office’. But they are misleading because as one nears, the firm lock and the solid bolt on top speak for themselves.

The post office authorities closed down the telephone booth some time ago when the telephone went out of order — and parts of the instrument began to disappear mysteriously.

The closure of the telephone booth at the GPO proved hard on the public telephone-users, especially because the number of public telephones in working order was so few.

[Meanwhile, as reported by an agency in Karachi,] a blackout exercise will be carried out any time between 9 and 10 p.m. on July 15 throughout the district of Karachi including the Port, Railways and Military areas with the exception of Civil Airport, search-light towers, railways signals and oil refinery.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2018