MOHMAND: The protest sit-in against power outages in Mohmand tribal district continued on the third consecutive day on Thursday.

The protesters also blocked the Peshawar-Bajaur highway at Ghundai Kallay for two hours, creating problems for the commuters. Hundreds of vehicles and their passengers remained stranded during the road blockade. On the administration’s assurance to help resolve the issue, the protesters opened the highway after two hours of protest.

Sources said that FIRs had also been registered against eight protesters. The area people staged the sit-in on Peshawar-Bajaur highway at Ghundai Kallay in Haleemzai tehsil to protest the prolonged and unscheduled power outages.

The protesters claimed that some elements were creating artificial power crisis on their own and as a result their areas remained without power supply for weeks.

On the assurance of AC Hamid Iqbal, tehsildar Rehman Gul, DSP Jan Mohammad and a Wapda official, the protesters opened the highway to traffic.

They assured the protesters that power supply to their area would be ensured according to the schedule. During talks with the protesters, DSP Jan Mohammad also urged them to avoid using heavy electronic devices to control power outages.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2020