CHITRAL, July 1: Angry protesters on Tuesday forced the local businessmen to close their shops and blocked roads for more than seven hours while protesting against frequent power outages in the city.

The local police had to resort to baton-charge and shelling to disperse the angry mob, however, there was no report of any casualty. Passengers could not travel to Peshawar and upper parts of the district and Lotkoh valley as roads were blocked by the protesters.

They were chanting slogans against the elected representatives of the district for their failure to solve the issue of electricity. Police baton-charged and used shelling to disperse the angry mob in Chew Bridge, while the strikers in Jughoor and Goldoor Chowk dispersed peacefully when the district nazim and district coordination officer assured them of solution of the ongoing loadshedding.

Chitral DPO Sher Akbar told Dawn that a number of activists had been arrested by the police who were involved in enticing the people to the mob and tried to inflict loss to private and public properties. He said that criminal cases were being registered against protestors.

On the occasion, the bazaars wore a deserted look as the shopkeepers pulled down their shutters due to fear of the angry mob.

ROAD DEMAND: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf district chief Abdul Latif and nazim union council Islam Akbaruddin have demanded of the provincial government to complete the Oveer valley road by July 7, otherwise they would block the Shandur road on the occasion of the upcoming polo festival.