BATTAGRAM: Residents of Allai tehsil gathered in Thakot Bazaar on Friday to protest the prolonged electric loadshedding.

The demonstration, called by the Batkool Action Committee, drew participation of political and social activists, traders, and members of the general public.

The protesters assembled on the Karakoram Highway, voicing their grievances and chanting slogans against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company and the district administration.

Speakers at the protest claimed that loadshedding had been a longstanding issue in the area, but the government had failed to address it.

Notable figures such as former MPA Shah Hussain Khan, Naeem Shaheen, chairman of Tehreek Inqilab Political Movement Party, former provincial minister Bakht Nawaz Khan, and others participated in the protest.

The speakers said that despite several meetings with the administration and Pesco officials, no tangible solutions had been offered, with authorities citing excuses instead.

The protesters had a single-point agenda: to end prolonged outages and secure five megawatts of electricity from the Allai Khwar power station, which generates 121MW and feeds into the national grid. They asserted that it was the right of the local population to benefit from the resources generated in their area.

The speakers condemned the district administration and political elite for their ‘apathy’ towards public grievances, highlighting the hardships faced by children, women, elderly individuals, and patients in homes without electricity. They said traders were struggling to make ends meet due to electricity shortages.

The protesters demanded that the government put an end to the prolonged loadshedding, warning that failure to do so would compel them to protest again.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025