GHALANAI: Residents of Lower Mohmand subdivision staged a protest demonstration against unscheduled and prolonged power loadshedding here on Wednesday.

The protesters blocked the main Peshawar-Bajaur Road at Durbakhel area of Halimzai tehsil, chanting slogans against the power company and the local administration.

MPA Nisar Mohmand, Malik Janzeb Khan along with elders, business community and a large number of people participated in the protest. On the occasion, Mr Mohmand and Malik Jahanzeb said the people were facing water shortage due to loadshedding.

They complained that illegal factories had been set up, which took electricity from the domestic line, as a result, the feeders had become overloaded.

The protesters demanded that the authorities take notice of the situation and ensure uninterrupted electricity supply.

Meanwhile, members of the Muttahida Mohmand students body continued their protest against non-provision of Internet facilities in the merged tribal districts for second consecutive day on Wednesday.

Hundreds of students gathered in front of the Nahaqi Tunnel on Peshawar-Bajaur highway, demanding the government restore Internet connectivity to the tribal districts. The road remained closed for traffic for several hours. The protesters were holding banners and placards and chanting slogans in favour of their demands.

The protesters said online classes were going on all over the country but the tribal students had been deprived of the facility due to Internet problem.

They said the protesting students didn’t belong to any political party or student union.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2020