BUNER, Aug 3: A protest demonstration against excessive loadshedding taken out by inhabitants of union councils Pacha and Malakpur after the Friday prayer turned violent as the angry people ransacked private and public properties in Buner.

The protesters blocked the main roads leading to Swat and Mardan districts for two hours.

The protesters ransacked a PTCL exchange and damaged electricity meters during the march from Pir Baba to Jowkhela Chowk. A 14-year-old boy was injured when armed men resorted to indiscriminate fire from a nearby petrol pump to stop the protesters from moving ahead, eyewitnesses said.

The injured Maaz, son of Said Zada, was shifted to nearby tehsil headquarters hospital Pacha. The doctor on duty stated his condition was out of danger.

A heavy contingent of police along with sub-divisional magistrate Gagra Mohammad Hayat and executive magistrate Mohammad Yousaf of Daggar was deployed to avoid any untoward situation. DSP Sadique Akbar Khan was also present on the occasion.

The protesters accused the executive district officer Pesco Akbar Khan and line superintendent Timor Shah of disconnecting the power supply to Jowkhela chowk at 11pm every night, causing the inhabitants to suffer in the humid weather.

The situation got worsened when some of the protesters marched towards Swari and damaged all electricity meters and signboards on the way.

TIMERGARA: Residents of Khall and its surrounding areas on Friday blocked the Timergara-Chitral road for more than 8 hours after Sehri to protest against prolonged power outages and low voltage.

Hundreds of charged protesters most of them youth observed a sit-in on the road and also burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the government, local lawmakers and Wapda.

The local traders supported the protest and observed complete shutter down at Khall and Rabat bazaars. Political leaders like Sahibzada Azhar Taqveem, Fazil Syed and others while addressing the demonstrators alleged people of Khall had been forced to turn violent as duration of loadshedding was longer than other areas.

They said that majority of water supply schemes in the area had been out of order due to low voltage and unscheduled power outage. People at homes, mosques, schools and markets had been confronted with acute shortage of drinking water, they added.

Hundreds of passenger vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road due to road blockade causing immense problems to travellers.

Later, the District Coordination Officer Mahmood Aslam Wazir visited Khall and held talks with protesters. The DCO informed them that work on heavy transformer installation was going fast and it would be installed in a few days that would solve the problem of low voltage on permanent basis.

The protesters, though dispersed peacefully, warned to come again on road if the problem was not solved.