SHANGLA/LOWER DIR: Residents of Martung tehsil blocked Puran-Alpuri road in Aloch Bazaar on Tuesday to protest against excessive power outages.

They demanded an end to power outages, which, they said, were causing considerable hardship to them.

People from various parts of Martung tehsil gathered at the tehsil headquarters in Puran and staged a protest rally in Aloch Bazaar, chanting slogans against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and the elected representatives.

The rally was led by president of the Martung Welfare Committee Akhtar Ali Khan, along with Naveed Iqbal, Khalid Mehmood of Pishlor, Daulat Ghani of Kabalgram, Nisar Ali advocate, and Ali Bahadar advocate.

They expressed their resentment over Pesco’s act of suspending electricity to their area after every 10 minutes for hours, making their lives awful in hot weather.

Akhtar Ali Khan stated that they were also experiencing acute water shortages due to extensive power outages, up to 22 hours a day. He pointed out that low voltage issues had plagued the area for the past decade, and despite assurances from the elected representatives, the problem remained unresolved.

“Shangla produces over 80 megawatts of electricity, yet local residents are deprived of power supply. Pesco deliberately suspends electricity in our area, citing faults, during this sweltering heat,” Mr. Khan added.

Naveed Iqbal noted that eight years had gone by when a grid station was announced for Martung and Puran tehsils, but it was yet to be completed.

Ali Bahadar advocate mentioned that there had been no electricity in Martung for the past three days, causing families to suffer in the extreme heat. He revealed that residents, including those from Martung, often had to repair their transformers to restore electricity on a self-help basis, despite paying their bills

Later, negotiations were held between protestors and the local administration officials, who assured them that the issues of power outages and low voltage would be addressed as a priority. The protesters dispersed peacefully, but issued a three-day deadline to hold another protest along with their families if their issues were not addressed.

Meanwhile, in Malakand division, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) held protest demonstrations across all nine districts against the recent surge in petrol and diesel prices, prolonged outages, and excessive penalties imposed on the business community.

The protests were held on the call of Inayatullah Khan, JI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North ameer. A large number of people from different walks of life participated in the rallies and strongly criticised the government’s “anti-people” policies.

Inayatullah Khan, who led a protest rally in Upper Dir, while addressing the gathering, said that the continuous increase in fuel and electricity prices had become intolerable for the common man.

“Every day a new petrol bomb is dropped on the public. Inflation has crushed ordinary citizens, and the ruling elite is busy issuing meaningless statements from their palaces,” he said.

Other JI district and local leaders also addressed the protesters and said the unannounced and prolonged power outages had crippled businesses and made life unbearable for the public. They termed imposition of heavy fines and raids on traders an attempt to suppress the business community.

The JI leadership demanded immediate cuts in fuel prices, end to power outages, and the withdrawal of unfair penalties on shopkeepers, otherwise, they warned of launching province and country-wide protest movement.

In Lower Dir, Jamaat-i-Islami held a protest rally in Timergara, where a protest march was held from Balambat to Gorgori Chowk, and the participants chanted slogans against Wapda and the federal government.

Speaking at the rally, JI Lower Dir ameer and former MNA Maulana Asadullah Khan, general secretary Shoaib Ahmad, information secretary Malik Sher Bahadar Khan, and engineer Yaqoobur Rahman said that the unannounced power outages had caused mental and physical distress to the people, disrupted daily life, and paralysed businesses.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2025