MANSEHRA: The residents of Mansehra, Oghi and Balakot tehsils on Friday protested prolonged and unscheduled power loadshedding.

“Since the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led collation government has come into power, duration of power loadshedding has increased significantly. Now people remain without electricity almost half of a day,” Mohammad Azam, a trader, told journalists.

The local people and traders living in the city and its adjoining localities complained that the electricity remained suspended for five to six hours a day that adversely affected the business and other activities.

“The people have been falling unconscious because of prolonged power outages in such scorching weather but the government has not been taking measures to bring the current power outages to an end,” said Mr Azam.

The prayer leaders also raised the issue of prolonged and unscheduled power outages at the Friday sermons. They said that earlier religious festivity was exempted from the power loadshedding but now it was not the case.

“If the Peshawar Electric Supply Company doesn’t end the prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding, we would take to streets to protest it,” said Mr Azam.

Mohammad Ajmal, another local, said that the government should bring to an end the power outages, which adversely affected the routine life of people in the area.

“The children and elderly people cannot even take a nap because of the power outages in such a scorching heat,” he said.

The residents and traders of Balakot and Oghi tehsils have also demanded of the government to end the prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding. They said that business activities were adversely affected because of the power outages.

KILLED: A man axed his wife to death after an exchange of harsh words with her in Chitti Ghatti area here on Thursday evening.

Nimatullah, who belonged to Dasu area of Upper Kohistan and currently settled here, attacked and axed his wife to death and managed to flee.

The Baffa police after lodging the FIR against the accused started raids and arrested him while fleeing.

The police have also started an investigation to ascertain the exact cause behind the murder.

Meanwhile, the traffic police have launched a crackdown on the motorists, who have installed pressure horns in their vehicles.

The special teams constituted by the district police officer removed pressure horns from the vehicles.

They also fined many motorists for various violations.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2022