SWABI: The people of Kalu Khan area in Razaar tehsil here on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration against the prolonged and unscheduled power outages and blocked Swabi-Jehangira road to traffic.

Announcements were made on loudspeakers asking the people to come out from their homes for their own sake and fully participate in the demonstration against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco).

The protesters gathered at Kalu Khan bus stop and blocked the road from both Swabi and Mardan sides which caused problems for the commuters. They also clashed with some commuters who asked them to open the road, which remained blocked for about eight hours. The angry people installed tents on the Swabi-Mardan road and set tyres on fire while not allowing anyone to pass through the route.

The protesters said they had been subjected to prolonged power outages and low voltage, which had created a situation where they could neither work nor sleep.

Speakers on the occasion said that they would not open the road till acceptance of their demands for ending prolonged outages and low voltage problem. They asked the elected representatives to come out of their air-conditioned houses and support them at the time of their difficulty.

Said Ali Shah, a local leader, said that due to low voltage their fans and other appliances were not working properly.

Later, the executive engineer and assistant commissioner held talks with the protesters and assured them that their problems would be resolved. After getting the assurance, they dispersed peacefully.

ARRESTED: The police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested the man who had allegedly killed three family members, including his father.

Officials said that Alam Khan of Zaida village had allegedly killed his grandfather Siraj Mohammad, maternal uncle Anwar Ali and father Alamzeb four days ago.

When contacted, district police officer Imran Shahid said the accused was arrested from Shahmansoor area and a pistol had been recovered from him.

Meanwhile, the police arrested a woman and allegedly recovered about two kilogrammes of heroin from her on Wednesday. The woman, identified as Noor Bibi, belongs to Mardan.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2020