Tariq Saeed Peshawar
Irked by the long hours of unscheduled and unannounced load-shedding amid mercury recording over 40 degrees, thousands of Peshawarites came to the streets to record their anger in Peshawar, amid the Meteorological Department forecasting a temperature rise to 42 degrees Celsius within the next 24 hours.
The infuriated citizens forcefully restored electricity by storming into the Hazaar Khawani grid station with the PTI leadership saying if KP is denied fair amount of electricity it will cut off the power for others as well.
According to reports, protesters led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Member of Provincial Assembly Fazal Elahi gathered outside the Rehman Baba Grid Station in Peshawar, which had been shut down.
The protesters have threatened to take control of the grid station if the load shedding continued. Fazal Elahi also threatened to close the Hazaar Khawani Grid Station, which would impact electricity supply to Islamabad.
Fazal Elahi emphasized that the continued closure of the Hazaar Khawani Grid Station would disrupt electricity in Islamabad.
Enraged citizens of the capital city Saturday restored electricity by storming into the Hazaar Khawani grid station, after incessant load-shedding led to protests in the midst of scorching weather. Area’s elders and residents entered the grid station after protesting outside its gate with heavy police deployment to tackle any potential law and order situation.
Agencies add: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company sought a first information report against PTI MPA Fazal Elahi on Saturday after he led protesters inside Rehman Baba Grid Station and forcibly activated feeders.
A statement from Pesco said Elahi surrounded the grid station with the protesters and later entered it to “forcibly” activate nine feeders considered “high loss feeders” with losses on them due to electricity theft and non-payment of dues over 80 per cent. It added that a heavy police contingent was also present at the scene.
