CHITRAL: The people of Drosh tehsil ended their massive protest sit-in on Friday evening which they had started a day earlier to protest against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco)for carrying out loadshedding up to 14 hours a day.

They protesters had blocked the Peshawar Road, bringing the vehicular traffic to a complete halt which caused severe hardships for the commuters. They even did not allow the road users to pass through and held the congregational Friday prayers on the road.

MNA Abdul Latif, former MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Drosh Tehsil Chairman Syed Farid Jan, Qari Jamal Abdul Nasir and others were prominent among those leading the protest sit-in. The protesters’ leaders had announced to seize the local grid station but the district administration held successful negotiations, persuading them to call off the strike.

The Sub-Divisional Police Officer Drosh Iqbal Karim, present on the occasion, told Dawn that the Pesco authorities had agreed to drastically reduce the loadshedding to three hours a day.

However, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali warned that the people of the areas would again start agitation if the Pesco and the local administration failed to keep up to their commitment.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2024