CHARSADDA/MOHMAND: Protesters blocked roads in Charsadda and Mohmand districts against excessive power loadshedding amid the ongoing heatwave on Tuesday.

In Charsadda, residents blocked the Mardan Road at Farooq-i-Azam Chowk, disrupting traffic for several hours.

People from Shaheeda Bazaar, Prang and Old Bazaar participated in the demonstration, demanding an immediate end to power outages and the transfer of the local executive engineer of Peshawar Electric Supply Company.

The protesters alleged that commitments made by the Pesco officer during a recent multiparty conference to reduce power cuts had not been fulfilled.

The protesters said prolonged outages had deprived residents of drinking water and made household chores difficult, while frequent night-time outages had increased the risk of mosquito-borne diseases.

In Mohmand district, hundreds of residents, traders and elders blocked the main Peshawar-Bajaur Highway to protest power cuts.

PPP leader Fazal Hadi, JI leader Khandan Khan, Ghalanai Bazaar Headquarters president Gulab Khan, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Qari Sajid Khan and others attended the protest.

Addressing the gathering, protest leaders said the prolonged electric suspension had disrupted water supply, leaving residents without access to drinking water, while businesses had suffered significant financial losses.

The protesters demanded immediate restoration of the electric supply.

The highway remained closed for several hours before being reopened after DSP Ghalanai Khalid Khan and SHO Murad Khan assured the protesters that their grievances would be conveyed to the relevant authorities.

Later, a delegation of protesters met Upper Mohmand assistant commissioner Sikandar Afzaal, who assured them that the district administration would take up the matter with Wapda.

Meanwhile, over 30,000 residents of Bisham town of Shangla district are facing hardship in scorching heat after a technical fault in rusted and damaged supply lines disconnected power supply to the major business hub on Sunday night.

Shahid Khan, a former village nazim who is assisting a Pesco team in locating the fault on the supply line, told Dawn that the fault was yet to be traced. “We hope to restore electric supply within the next few hours,” he said.

The former village nazim added a supply line, and pylons were erected in 1992, which had now completely rusted, causing constant faults and power cuts.

Bisham assistant commissioner Javed Iqbal Khan told Dawn later in the evening that the fault had been fixed and power supply restored.

However, Pesco Bisham sub-divisional officer Aziz Khan said he was still in the field with his team, but the fault had not been traced.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2026