MANSEHRA: The traders on Monday blocked the Darband-Oghi Road to traffic for many hours against prolonged and unscheduled load-shedding in Darband town and its suburbs.

The protesters observed a shutter-down strike from 10am to 3pm, burned old tyres, and shouted slogans against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company.

President of the traders’ body Mohammad Shahid said the residents, including businessmen, regularly paid electricity bills but even then, the Pesco subjected them to the unscheduled, prolonged power cuts.

He said if smooth electric supply wasn’t ensured, the people would block the main artery and besiege the Pesco offices for an indefinite period.

Pesco promises resolution of issue this week

Trader Dr Shakeel said the prolonged power cuts had badly hit life, especially business activities, in Darband area and its suburbs.

Jamaat-i-Islami candidate for tehsil nazim election Mohammad Zulfiqar said the PTI government had miserably failed to address excessive loadshedding and high inflation and unemployment rates to the misery of the people.

The mob cleared the road after deputy superintendent of police Mohammad Iftikhar and Pesco superintendent Mohammad Iqbal showed up and promised that there won’t be prolonged loadshedding after Feb 5.

Mr Iqbal said the Pesco was replacing old and damaged power transmission lines and once that exercise was completed, the people’s complaints about power supply would be addressed.

PTI WARNED: Former information secretary of the PTI Hazara division governing body Ajmal Khan Swati has warned if the leadership doesn’t field the deserving workers in the next phase of local body elections, the latter will file nomination papers as independents.

“Electioneering has begun but unfortunately, the PTI has yet to formally seek nomination applications,” he told reporters here on Monday.

Mr Swati said he expected a better election strategy by the party following defeat in first phase of LG polls, but that didn’t happen.

He said the recent dissolution of divisional, district and tehsil bodies could badly affect the party’s election performance.

“Our group won’t accept poll nominations finalised in drawing rooms and will prefer to contest elections as independents against those parachutes awarded tickets by the PTI,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2022