MANSEHRA: People from various areas here on Wednesday blocked the Karakoram Highway for over two hours, demanding an end to prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding.

“The Peshawar Electric Supply Company suspends electric supply over 10 hours a day amid a scorching heat wave. Women, children, and elderly people are the worst affected,” said protester Mohammad Sohail.

Residents of Dodial and adjoining areas took to the streets and blocked the Karakoram Highway to traffic for over two hours. They shouted slogans against the government and Pesco, and demanded an immediate end to power outages.

“We don’t have potable water as electric motors due to excessive loadshedding,” said resident Mohammad Hamad.

Complain electric supply remains suspended for over 10 hours daily

He said that people had also met with senior officials of Pesco and the deputy commissioner, seeking an end to the prolonged outages during the extreme heat, but to no avail.

“We will expand our protest across the district and permanently block the KKH if Pesco does not change its ways and put an end to the prolonged loadshedding,” he warned.

Passengers travelling within the district, as well as to and from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, remained stranded on both sides of the highway in long queues of vehicles.

INJURED IN ROAD MISHAP: Nine people, including women and children, suffered critical injuries when a passenger coach collided head-on with a wagon on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road in Chitta Batta area here on Wednesday.

The injured were shifted to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, whose doctors admitted five and referred the rest to the Ayub Medical Complex Hospital Abbottabad.

EXPOS HELD: The Job Fair and Business Development Expo was held at the Hazara University here on Wednesday, attracting a large number of students eager to explore employment and internship opportunities with around 100 industries and commercial organisations.

“Through this expo, we have provided an opportunity to over 2,500 male and female graduates from more than 40 academic departments, offering around 100 degree programs, to interact with companies and chambers of commerce for internships and employment,” said Dr Adnan Anwar, manager of the Career Counselling and Placement Centre at Hazara University on Wednesday.

Hundreds of students from Hazara University’s Garden Campus and its affiliated colleges participated in the event, where nearly 100 stalls were set up by various industries, healthcare organisations and the Pakistan Navy.

Officials conducted career orientation sessions, discussed job and internship opportunities with students, and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the university.

Sarhad, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Haripur chambers of commerce and industry also set up stalls and briefed students on regional and national employment opportunities and challenges.

Vice Chancellor Dr Mohsin Nawaz attended the inaugural and concluding ceremonies, encouraging students to embrace science and technology for national development and prosperity.

Dr Adnan Anwar said enhancing academic departments and finding research-based solutions to industrial problems were also key topics discussed during the event.

Hira Riaz, a BS Education student, said employment and internship opportunities should be equally available for students of all departments.

“As a graduate of an arts discipline, I noticed that the opportunities were more focused on science and technical fields,” she said.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2025