SWABI: Leaders of various political and religious parties vowed here on Sunday to extend support to the Swabi Action Committee (SAC) for its struggle to get subsidised electricity for the people.

They made their announcement during a meeting held at the residence of former MNA Usman Khan Tarakai in Razaar. Members of the business community, elders, youth and lawyers were in attendance.

An approval was given for framing the constitution of the action committee, giving it legal cover and not allowing anyone to violate the agreed principles or use its platform for political purposes.

Addressing the gathering, Usman Tarakai said it was the first occasion that the political and religious parties and all other organisations and groups had gathered on a single platform and agreed on one-point agenda that they would work for the provision of subsidised electricity to the consumers.

“The locals will only pay for the power produced from Tarbela Dam, which is the electricity lifeline of the country,” he remarked.

Salim Khan Advocate, the SAC leader and former provincial general secretary of ANP, said the time had finally come that people should unite and fight for the single goal: the discounted provision of power.

The important achievement at the meeting was the participation of youth in numbers, who expressed readiness that they would play their due role in realising the rights of people.

It was announced that voluntary registration would be started and about 200,000 people would be registered to effectively push for their demands.

They also decided to make a charter of demands and bring it into the notice of Peshawar Electric Supply Company and officials of the district administration. They also asked the district administration to immediately withdraw the FIRs filed against those consumers, who had not paid power bills. The participants threatened to stage a sit-in outside the offices of the district administration and Pesco if their demands were not met.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2024