18 July 2004	Sunday	29 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

PESHAWAR, July 17: The Peshawar police on Saturday registered a case against unidentified villagers of Badhber locality on the charges of opening fire on law enforcers and damaging public property, a senior police official said.

The Badhber police station has registered the case but so far no-one has been arrested, DSP rural Imran Shahid told Dawn.

The police have charged unidentified villagers with firing on police force and Pesco transformer, setting Mariumzai union council office and a branch of Agriculture Development Bank on fire, attacking basic health unit, damaging signboards and private and police vehicles.

Despite the riots which had broken out on Friday after massive power loadshedding, the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) continued its electricity management on Saturday, the residents said.

The loadshedding started before dawn on Saturday and continued in intervals till evening, said Imdad Khan, a local leader of Tehrik-i-Insaaf.

He added that the people had again gathered near Spin mosque on Saturday morning, but later dispersed when the power supply was restored at 8am.

Many residents in the area held a senior police official responsible for the clash with villagers. They said that the residents were willing to negotiate with the Pesco authorities on the issue of loadshedding when SP rural Mohammad Ayub ordered tear-gas shelling.

At 11am, the SP gave this order, and asked the police force to clear the road by force. Later, the police also opened fire on angry protesters, said a resident Khalid Khan.

A jirga of local elders was held late on Friday at the residence of Arshad Khan advocate, which held the Pesco authorities and SP rural Mohammad Ayub responsible for the incident.

Arshad Khan advocate, who is also a local leader of the Awami National Party, told Dawn that the jirga had placed four demands before the government, topping which was the suspension of SP rural Mohammad Ayub.

"The jirga demands that an inquiry be conducted through a judge of the Peshawar High Court into the incident and those found responsible be punished," he said.

The jirga also asked the Pesco authorities to provide power supply to Badhber area from Sheikh Mohammadi grid station, he said. Compensation for the injured was another demand.