Pakistani Taliban Blame Electric Company for Heat Wave Deaths

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Pakistani Taliban on Friday warned that they would take action against an electricity company if power failures continued to plague Karachi, a southern port city that is reeling from adevastating heat wave that has killed at least 1,000 people in recent days.

In a statement, Muhammad Khurasani, the spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, expressed sympathy for those who had died in the heat wave and placed blame for the deaths on K-Electric, a private company that provides electricity to Karachi.

“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 failures continued, but gave no specifics on what those actions might be.

By issuing a warning to the electricity company, the Taliban seemed to be taking a new direction in their propaganda campaign, aimed at regaining public support after the backlash caused by the slaughter of dozens of children at a school in Peshawar last year.

The Taliban have been on the run after the Pakistani military began an extensive military operation in the country’s northwestern tribal regions last year. However, they maintain a considerable presence in Karachi’s vast urban sprawl and have carried out attacks against the police and other authorities.

Temperatures dropped in Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province, after reaching as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius), and officials say the worst appears to be over. But the unusually high number of deaths has drawn anger and criticism from residents and opposition politicians, who say the government has failed to manage the crisis.

The heat wave coincided with the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, exacerbating the misery for many. Poorer residents, including the homeless, beggars and drug addicts, were especially hard hit.

Pakistan has suffered from a power crisis for several decades as the gap between demand and supply has strained a decrepit national grid system.

K-Electric has become a target for the anger of residents and politicians. Protests have broken out in the city in the last few days, and lawmakers have demanded action against the company because of the power failures. K-Electric officials said that increased demand in the sweltering summer and technical faults in the system had caused the shutdown

Critics say the power failures are not solely responsible for the heat wave deaths and contend that the provincial authorities failed to provide adequate health and relief facilities.