Karachi Roads Paralyzed by Punjab Colony Power Outage Protest

On July 12, 2025, residents of Punjab Colony in Karachi blocked major roads to protest a prolonged power outage, plunging the city into traffic chaos. The sit-in, sparked by a 24-hour electricity cut to an 80-flat residential building, disrupted key routes like Defence Road, highlighting systemic failures in Pakistan’s energy infrastructure. This article examines the protest, its causes, and the broader implications of mismanagement by K-Electric (KE).

The demonstration began early Saturday when residents of the Dadabhoy building, frustrated by K-Electric’s inaction since the outage started at 11 a.m. Friday, blocked both lanes of the road to Defence Mor. The protest caused severe gridlock, with vehicles crawling through areas like Boat Basin, Gizri, and Hino Chowrangi, and vital Karachi Port operations stalled, as reported by Dawn. Traffic police diverted light vehicles via the Gizri underpass and rerouted Korangi traffic to Khayaban-e-Jami, but congestion persisted for over four hours. Residents, like local shopkeeper Ahmed Raza, voiced their anger: “We pay our bills, yet we’re punished for others’ actions,” he told Geo News, referencing a dispute in the nearby Posts and Telegraph (P&T) Colony.

K-Electric attributed the outage to an anti-theft operation in P&T Colony, alleging “miscreants” attacked their teams to restore illegal connections. A KE spokesperson claimed the protest aimed to undermine efforts against power theft, stating that no claims had been filed for confiscated materials. However, Punjab Colony residents insisted their legal connections were unfairly cut, calling it collective punishment. The protest ended after five hours when authorities promised to restore power, but the incident exposed deep-rooted issues with K-Electric’s service delivery, areas with a high population of Punjabi residents, as noted by The Tribune.

This chaos reflects Karachi’s ongoing struggle with unreliable utilities, where honest citizens bear the brunt of systemic neglect. The city’s infrastructure, strained by mismanagement, leaves residents trapped in a cycle of outages and unfulfilled promises. As Pakistan grapples with governance challenges, such incidents underscore the urgent need for accountability and reform to ensure basic services for all.