FAISALABAD: The Faisalabad Electric Supply Company’s (Fesco) application for registration of a case against local traders is pending with police since late on Monday after the suspected traders accompanied by a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker allegedly attacked the Fesco chief executive officer’s (CEO) office, damaged property and used abusive language over the issue of electricity connections.

Submitting the application to the Mansoorabad police, Fesco Additional Director (Security) Shehzadul Haq claimed that a group of Koh-i-Noor City Anjuman-i-Tajiran had gone to the Fesco headquarters on Monday and barged into the CEO’s office. During a discussion on an issue regarding electricity connections, three traders, including Abdul Hameed, started shouting at the Fesco chief, who asked them to lower their voice. This enraged Hameed, who hurled threats at the CEO.

The traders, Haq claimed, had also ransacked the CEO’s office in the presence of other Fesco officials, who intervened and stopped them. Local police were informed, but the traders managed to escape from the scene.

The application for registration of a case is pending with police.

Sources among the traders said that the name of the PTI MNA had not been mentioned in the application which infuriated the traders. They also said that the traders had been convinced by the MNA to take up the issue with the Fesco chief, as the authority was not moving despite repeated requests and protests. But the MNA had pressured the Fesco officials to remove his name from the application, they added.

The traders said that they would come out on the roads if a case was registered against them. They had previously protested a number of times against Fesco charging them Rs34 per unit, claiming it was unjust.

A Fesco officer, requesting anonymity, said that the PTI MNA had apologised to the CEO discreetly instead of condemning violence of the traders.

The MNA was desperately trying to hush-up the issue, he added. An application had been submitted to police, but the Fesco chief did not adopt a strong stance over it.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2018