CHARSADDA: Amid scorching heat, residents of Charsadda, Shabqadar and Haleemzai tehsils blocked a major road here to protest prolonged power cuts.

They pitched tents in the middle of the Mohmand-Bajaur Road, blocked traffic and torched old tyres.

The power protesters criticised their elected representatives over failure to ease their misery by ensuring smooth power supply in hot weather, and shouted slogans against them.

They even asked lawmakers to resign over failure to deliver.

The speakers, including Rahmat Ali Mohmand, Khan Zeb, Nazim Naveed Mohmand, former MPA Babar Ali and Dr Zubair Jan Syed, said that the power cuts for22 hours daily had made people’s lives miserable.

They said that the prolonged suspension of power supply had hit the children, elderly and women the most.

The speakers said that people in many areas didn’t have access to drinking water due to power cuts, which had also literally brought the business to a standstill.

They said that people had become helpless due to the “worst kind of loadshedding.”

The speakers complained that the people had to spend sleepless nights, while many fainted in the daytime due to the sizzling heat.

They flayed the Pesco over failure to fulfil commitments for smooth electric supply during Eid days, marring celebrations.

The speakers demanded of the government to ensure an immediate end to unscheduled, excessive loadshedding.

They said members of the national and provincial assemblies had “left the people helpless in this difficult time” and if they couldn’t address people’s problems, they should resign from their seats immediately.

Later, leaders of the protesters and Wapda officials held talks in the office of the assistant commissioner.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2025