The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed a petition filed by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and upheld the President of Pakistan’s decision directing the power utility to provide comprehensive medical treatment and rehabilitation to a nine-year-old girl, Lubaba, who lost both hands in an electrical accident in July 2021. In its 11-page written judgment, the court directed PESCO to arrange a comprehensive medical assessment of the child at the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM), Rawalpindi, to determine her current and future treatment and rehabilitation needs. The court further ordered PESCO to bear all expenses related to the child’s treatment, rehabilitation and provision of advanced prosthetic limbs.

It observed that if the required treatment or prosthetic facilities were not reasonably available in Pakistan, the possibility of treatment abroad should also be considered, with the associated expenses to be borne by PESCO. According to the case record, Lubaba, a resident of Village Pir Qilla, Tehsil Shabqadar, District Charsadda, sustained severe electrical burns while playing outside her home in July 2021.

The accident involved an 11-kilovolt (KV) electricity line and resulted in extensive injuries, ultimately requiring the amputation of both her hands. She was taken to hospital in an unconscious condition and underwent medical treatment, including the amputation of both hands. On February 16, 2022, Shahid Ali, a relative of the child, submitted an application to PESCO seeking compensation for her injuries and medical expenses. PESCO subsequently conducted an inquiry into the incident. The company maintained that the accident had resulted from an illegal electricity connection established through direct hooks rather than from the falling of its electricity line.

The company also argued that illegal electricity connections were widespread in the area and that the accident had occurred within the premises of the child’s family. It further cited the absence of a contemporaneous police report, the delay in approaching the relevant authorities and the lack of a recorded tripping incident on the relevant feeder as grounds for disputing its responsibility.

The child’s family later approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib, alleging negligence on the part of PESCO and seeking compensation for her injuries and medical expenses.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)