SWABI: Activists of opposition parties flayed the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government for the ‘substandard’ construction of the Kotha-Topi causeway, which caved-in here on Monday.

The causeway linked Topi’s main markets with congested areas like Kotha, Marghuz, Khalabat, and Zarobi.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz district president Shiraz Khan said: “There was neither rain nor floods but the causeway suddenly caved in.”

He held the ruling PTI leadership responsible for the causeway’s ‘substandard’ construction.

Topi tehsil mayor Rahim Jadoon, who belongs to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, said that three days ago they held a protest, demanding an investigation into the ‘substandard’ construction of the Bada Dam, adding that the causeway’s collapse also warranted a transparent inquiry.

Soon after the news of the causeway’s collapse went viral on social media, former provincial transport minister and MPA Rangaiz Ahmed Khan visited the site, which is in his constituency.

He issued instructions to the authorities for immediate measures, following which excavators were brought to remove the debris of the collapsed causeway.

Mr Khan said the reconstruction of the causeway would be ensured as early as possible.

He said during the reconstruction of causeway, traffic would be diverted to the Swabi-Topi Road.

A contractor told Dawn on condition of anonymity that about Rs20 million were spent on the causeway’s construction.

ENCOUNTER: A drug dealer was arrested in injured condition after an encounter with the police on Monday, according to a statement.

On seeing the police party, the outlaw tried to escape and started firing on the police. The police retaliated in self-defence and arrested the accused in injured condition.

The encounter took place on the Shera Ghand Road, and the outlaw was identified as Sajjad, a resident of Kalu Khan.

A pistol and 280 grams of ice were recovered from his possession.

POWER OUTAGES PROTESTED: People of different areas of Kalu Khan and suburbs blocked the Swabi-Mardan Road for two hours to protest prolonged power outages here on Monday.

Awami National Party gave the call for the agitation.

The protesters held PTI government responsible for unscheduled and excessive electric loadshedding.

On the occasion, Mohammad Ishfaq Advocate, ANP Razaar tehsil president, said electricity usage remained very low in winter, but despite that the consumers faced outages for several hours.

ANP’s Ghulam Haqqani, who is also mayor of Razaar tehsil, said consumers faced 14 hours of loadshedding daily.

Peshawar Electric Supply Company executive engineer Sajjad Khan and Razaar DSP Hassan Khan reached the venue and assured the protesters of reducing the loadshedding duration and deputing a lineman to the area.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2025