SWABI: The Swabi Action Committee (SAC) will hold a protest sit-in in front of the DC office on 23rd December against excessive power loadshedding and the worsening law and order situation in the district, stated a committee’s press release issued here on Saturday.

Members of the business community, representatives of various political parties and social organisations, coordination secretaries of all the four tehsils, and student organisations attended the meeting, which expressed full support for the planned protest sit-in.

Azeem Khan, the committee’s district coordinator, highlighted several concerns faced by the people of the district. According to him, he had previously advocated for the registration of volunteers and a people-contact campaign across the 56 union councils.

According to statement, the participants discussed issues including the worsening law and order, excessive power loadshedding, overbilling, the spreading drug menace—especially ice-drug—and the provision of affordable electricity to district consumers.

Salim Khan advocate, the former provincial general secretary of the Awami National Party and spokesperson for the committee, stated that the district administration had completely failed to take any steps to address the problems faced by the people.

“We have planned to register 200,000 volunteers. Once such a number of protesters march on Tarbela dam or block the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway, we will be in a position to dictate terms to the government, which has failed to acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices made by the people of this district for the dam’s construction— the country’s power lifeline,” Salim Khan warned.

The leaders of the committee appealed to the people to fully participate in the sit-in to exert pressure on the administration to address the issues of the people of the area, the statement concluded.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2024