CHARSADDA: The Charsadda Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday demanded an end to the prolonged electric outages in the district, terming it the ‘economic murder’ of local industrialists and businessmen.

Speaking at a press conference here, the chamber’s president, Sikandar Khan, demanded an immediate end to the power cuts. He threatened that they would be compelled to stage a protest if the issue remained unresolved.

He said that unscheduled power outages had not only made life miserable for residents but had also pushed the district’s small-scale industries, particularly the renowned Charsadda chappal manufacturing sector, to the brink of collapse.

The chamber’s senior vice-president, Nauman Akbar Khan and Charsadda Chappal Makers Association president Amir Zeb Khan were also present at the presser.

They said Charsadda had already suffered economically after major industries, including paper and sugar mills, were relocated to Punjab, resulting in widespread unemployment and significant financial losses for the district.

They added that the Charsadda chappal industry had since emerged as a major source of employment and earned recognition in both national and international markets, but the ongoing electricity crisis now threatened its survival.

The business leaders said a protest planned by the Chappal Makers Association for Monday was postponed at the chamber’s request to hold talks with the authorities.

Criticising the power tariff structure, they claimed that consumers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were paying around Rs55 per unit despite the province being a major power producer, while electricity in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan was available at around Rs3 per unit.

They alleged that the province’s electricity resources were also benefiting other regions at the expense of local consumers.

The speakers said the district’s agriculture also depended heavily on electricity, warning that continued power outages were adversely affecting both farming and industrial production.

They also urged the district administration to take action against illegal housing schemes established on agricultural land, arguing that the unchecked conversion of fertile land into residential projects could lead to a decline in agricultural output.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2026