CHARSADDA: Hundreds of residents of Shabqadar took to streets here on Monday against excessive power outages and staged a sit-in outside the tehsil grid station.

The leaders and workers of different political parties and members of civil society joined the sit-in outside the grid station. They kept the main Peshawar-Shabqadar Highway closed to traffic to protest power loadshedding.

Naveed Mohmand, Shahid Khan Katuzai, Dr Zubair Faheem Khan, Hameed Khan, Irfan Alam, Ilyas Khan, Khudadad Khan, Hafiz Shafiullah, Azmat Akbar, Rehmat Ali Mohmand, Haji Zafar Ali Khan, Haji Jan Syed, Asadullah Khan Mirzai, Mian Mirajuddin, Ashfaq Khan, Zakir Bacha, Haji Gul Yousaf, Maulana Sajidur Rehman, Ghafarullah, Sheikh Muzamil Khan Matta, Atiqur Rehman, Abbas, Saifullah, Bacha Noorani and Usman Khan addressed the protesters.

They said that 20-hour power loadshedding was observed in the area. They said local elders held several meetings with Pesco official but to no avail. They said that future of students was bleak owing to prolonged electricity loadshedding.

Threaten to resume sit-in if their demands not accepted within three days

Speakers said that that their sit-in would continue until Pesco chief took practical steps to end loadshedding. “We will not end the sit-in,” they said. They termed unannounced power loadshedding an illegal act. They said that judiciary should take notice of the illegal act of Pesco.

They demanded that code on feeders of the ‘25 disputed villages’ should be removed. They said that feeders in the disputed villages should be reactivated to ensure smooth supply of electricity to people.

Speakers said that action should be taken against corrupt officers of Pesco. They said that corrupt officials should be replaced with honest persons. They added that corrupt officials should be punished according to law.

They alleged that executive engineer of Shabqadar and hydro union officials were causing losses worth billions of rupees annually to public exchequer. They said authorities should take notice of the matter and stop registration of FIRs against power consumers in Shabqadar.

Speakers said that they would continue sit-in until their legitimate demands were met. A heavy contingent of police was deployed on the occasion to avert any untoward situation.

After four hours of negotiations between protesters and administration officials, the former agreed to postpone the sit-in for three days.

They said that they would resume the protest if their demands were not accepted within three days.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2024