The Pakistani Taliban yesterday warned it would take action against an electricity company if power outages continued to plague Karachi, a southern port city that is reeling from a devastating heatwave that has killed at least 1,000 people in recent days.
In a statement, a spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan expressed sympathy for those who died and blamed K-Electric, a private company, for the deaths.
“Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan considers K-Electric to be completely responsible due to its unnecessary power outages and profiteering practices,” the statement said.
It warned that the Taliban would take action if the power outages continued, but gave no specifics on what the actions would be.
By issuing a warning to the electricity company, the Taliban seemed to be taking a new direction in its propaganda campaign, aimed at regaining public support after the backlash caused by the slaughter of dozens of children at a Peshawari school last year.
The Taliban is on the run after the Pakistani military began a continuing military operation in the country's northwestern tribal regions last year. However, it maintains a considerable presence amid Karachi's vast urban sprawl. – (New York Times service)