People take to streets as power outages hit several cities amid heatwave

ISLAMABAD: Troubled people took to the streets across several parts of the country on Wednesday due to non-availability of electricity amid extreme temperatures.

Protests have broken out in numerous cities, including Karachi and Peshawar, over the past few days as people are having a hard time due to prolonged loadshedding. Severe heat has also affected several cities, with extreme temperatures expected in the days to come.

In Karachi, the residents of Golimar protested for more than two hours, blocking the road, which led to a traffic jam. However, they later dispersed, allowing the traffic to flow.

Citizens troubled due to loadshedding stormed a grid station in Khyber district’s Landikotal. The angry protesters entered the grid station and staged a sit-in. The protestors demanded an end to loadshedding, which was taking place for more than 20 hours.

In the Chilas area of Gilgit-Baltistan, protests against unannounced loadshedding were also held at several places and a shutter-down strike was observed by traders.

In Balochistan’s Naseerabad area, people took to the streets against 12-hour loadshedding. In Usta Muhammad, citizens protested by burning tyres and also blocked the highway.

Meanwhile, in Multan, power suppliers are observing loadshedding of four to eight hours.

Students attempting their intermediate examinations in nine districts of Sindh were also not spared as the power supply to exam centres was being cut. In the Matiari district, loadshedding of 12-18 hours is being observed.

The maximum temperature recorded in Karachi on Wednesday was 41.5 and even in such extreme heat, electricity has been cut off for 10 hours in different areas.

The development came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities concerned to minimise the ongoing loadshedding in different areas through better load management, considering public relief in sizzling weather.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting on load management and power theft, reiterated that the government would strictly deal with the power thieves. For Karachi, the sole power supplier Karachi-Electric has said that if people do not pay their bills, it cannot ensure constant provision of electricity.