PESHAWAR: Residents of Peshawar on Sunday staged a protest against the unannounced power outages affecting the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including the provincial capital.
The demonstration, led by Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Fazal Elahi, saw protesters blocking one side of the ring road. A significant number of police personnel were present during the protest to maintain order.
Addressing the protestors, Fazal Elahi criticised the pervasive load shedding that has swept across the province, leaving homes and businesses in darkness amid a heatwave.
Since June 1, the duration of load shedding has increased to up to 16 hours in various localities of Peshawar, including Shahi Bagh Grid Stadium, Charsadda Road, and Lala Zar Colony, where bill collections are reportedly 100 percent, according to a consumer named Paras Ahmad.
Another citizen from Khazana Sugar Mill reported experiencing 16 to 18 hours of load shedding daily. He added that no one responsible was available to address their concerns on the given phone numbers.
A tailor named Aziz Ahmed expressed frustration, stating that despite regular payment of electricity bills, residents do not receive electricity as per their needs. “We failed to deliver stitched suits to customers on time due to the frequent power cuts, making it difficult to complete our work,” he said.
