MANSEHRA/GHALANAI, July 16: A large number of traders and residents on Tuesday took to the streets in Garhi Habibullah against prolonged and unscheduled power outages and blocked the Azad Kashmir-Mansehra road for several hours. Besides, people in Haleemzai tehsil of Mohamand Agency also held demonstrations, complaining of 20-hour daily loadshedding.

Holding banners inscribed with slogans against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company and government, the protesters in Mansehra demanded immediate halt to the power loadshedding.

The passengers travelling between Mansehra and Azad Kashmir suffered a lot in long queues of vehicles because of the road blockade.

Speaking on the occasion, representatives of traders, including Sardar Saeed, Mohammad Ashraf, Mohammad Munir and others, said that the federal government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had failed to address the core issues faced by the nation.

Mr Saeed said that the people voted for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in recent election for solution of their problems, but the PML-N proved to be another face of Pakistan People’s Party.

“We will not tolerate the anti-people polices of the government and if the current spate of power outages continued we would block the Kashmir road permanently,” said Mr Munir.

He said that electricity outages had badly affected their businesses. The protesters dispersed peacefully after the local police assured them that their complaints had been conveyed to the quarters concerned.

In Ghalanai, the residents of different localities in Haleemzai area of Chanda Mills staged protest demonstrations and blocked roads on Tuesday against the prolonged outages and low voltage of electricity.

The demonstrations were held on main Peshawar-Bajaur road at Frash and Mill area of Mohmand tribal region.

The protesters complained that power loadshedding had made it difficult for them to stay in their houses, especially during day time. They said that children and women were suffering the most owing to the loadshedding. “We can’t tolerate the current over 20 hours loadshedding daily,” they said.

They said that the political administration and the Wapda had failed to mitigate miseries of the people in Mohmand Agency. The protesters blocked the road for two hours.

Haleemzai tehsildar Shamsul Islam reached the spot with a contingent of Levies and Khasadar forces and dispersed the protesters.

The protesters said that they had been facing 20-hour power loadshedding daily besides the low voltage of electricity in their areas. Instead of solving their problems, the administration started crackdown on the Babikhel tribe and took eight tribesmen and three vehicles into their custody.

The political administration has, meanwhile, disconnected power connections of a dozen of marble factories in the area to ensure supply to domestic consumers. —Dawn Report