PESHAWAR, Dec 31: A member of National Assembly and several other people were injured when Peshawar police fired tear-gas shells and baton-charged residents of Badhber, who had assembled at the Jinnah Park on Saturday to protest against load-shedding by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) in their area.

The residents of Mohmand and Khalil villages of Badhber, in the suburb of the city, gathered at the Jinnah Park intent on marching up to Governor’s House under the leadership of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MNA Sabir Hussain Awan to protest against load-shedding in their villages.

But the city police closed the main doors of the Jinnah Park and tried to stop the protesters from marching towards the governor’s house.

However, a large number of residents jumped over the park fence and came on the main Grand Trunk Road. The police charged that the protesters had blocked the main road for all kinds of traffic and also pelted several moving vehicles with stones.

The police tried to convince the protesters to disperse and on their resistance fired several tear-gas shells. The police also baton-charged the protesters when they tried to proceed towards the governor’s house.

Mr Awan and over a dozen other protesters were injured in the police action. However, all of them were discharged from the Lady Reading Hospital after treatment.

The police arrested 11 protesters, but later freed them when district nazim of Peshawar Haji Ghulam Ali intervened in the matter.

“We have not registered any case against the protesters,” said SSP (operation) Saeed Khan Wazir.

Mr Awan criticised the Pesco authorities for what he called a routine 22-hour power shutdown in the villages of Badhber area.

Talking to this correspondent, he said Pesco was supplying electricity for only two hours to the Mohmand and Khalil villages for the last many days.

Pesco spokesman Shaukat Afzal said that there was no load-shedding in any part of the city. He said people were getting electricity through illegal direct hook on the main lines, which caused power trips.

In the last couple of weeks, weather had been cold and in those areas where natural gas was not being supplied, particularly Badhber, Regi and localities on the Warsak Road, people used electricity extensively for cooking food.

Mr Awan seconded the views of Pesco spokesman and added that illegal ‘Kunda’ connections had increased in the city’s suburbs in the last two years.

Pesco sent inflated bills to consumers to cover their line losses and encouraged them to get electricity through ‘Kunda’, the MNA alleged.