PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur again announced plans to curtail the national power supply from the province. I am also coming to Islamabad. Don’t think I am saying this only in my province. I will say all this in Islamabad too.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also reached a grid station in his hometown of Dera Ismail Khan and resumed power supply to his area.
Many protests were held during Eid against power breakdowns while hundreds of people led by respective MNAs or MPAs took control of grid stations at several places, resuming electricity supply to their areas.
The protests and blocking of main highways created a serious law and order situation for the police.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has stopped the police from taking action against members of national and provincial assemblies for leading protests against hours-long power breakdowns in any part of the province.
In many places, applications were submitted by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) staff for lodging First Information Reports (FIRs) against lawmakers and their supporters for storming grid stations and other establishments and interfering in the official work of the staff.
However, the chief minister warned the KP Police against lodging FIRs against any MNA or MPA. He even directed lawmakers to take control of grid stations and ensure that there were no power breakdowns for over 12 hours in any part of the province.
The chief minister had set a 15-day deadline for Pesco to improve the situation or warned of taking control of grid stations.
During and after Eid, hundreds of protesters in a number of places were forced into the grid stations to resume power to their areas as most of the towns in KP witnessed unprecedented power breakdowns during the three days of the festival despite earlier claims by the government that there would be no loadshedding.
In Peshawar, an MPA belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Fazal Ilahi, along with a large number of villagers staged a demonstration outside the grid station on the Ring Road. He said the authorities had promised there would be no power breakdown but the people continued to suffer because of outages.
Protests were also held on the Bara Road where elected representatives talked to the charged mob to open the highway.
The protesters at a number of places alleged that the staff of Pesco, supported by their own unions and officials, were involved in power theft and that action should be taken against them instead of resorting to power breakdowns.
They said consumers had to pay the price in the form of heavy bills despite facing 12 to 21 hours of power shutdown in rural towns.
Former chief minister Pervez Khattak was also stuck during one such protest in Nowshera. The video went viral on social media but he was seen least concerned about the issue as the people had not voted for him in the last elections.
The Pesco staff has filed applications with the KP Police for lodging cases against protesters, including some MPAs. But no FIR has been lodged against any lawmaker.
The officials at Pesco, on the other hand, say villagers do not pay bills in areas facing longer power breakdowns. They say the loadshedding duration is minimal in areas where revenue generation is high and people are paying bills.
Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur initiated talks to address the issue. The two leaders discussed their concerns and potential solutions.
KP Chief Minister Gandapur expressed his concerns to Interior Minister Naqvi regarding the severe power outages. Both leaders agreed to hold consultations over the next two days to find out a solution. “Mutual understanding will remove misunderstandings,” stated both Naqvi and Gandapur, emphasizing the need for cooperative dialogue.
KP Chief Minister Gandapur assured the interior minister of the safety and security of grid stations, underscoring their importance in mitigating the power crisis.
All efforts are being made to solve the problem of loadshedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as soon as possible, said Mohsin Naqvi, reiterating the government’s commitment to resolving the issue swiftly.
Naqvi also emphasized that the security of all federal installations is a top priority, assuring that measures are in place to protect these crucial infrastructures.
On the other hand, Federal Power Minister Awais Leghari has complained to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi that the KP police is not registering cases against those who forced grid officials to restore electricity to areas marked by massive power theft, reports Geo News on Wednesday.
In his letter to Naqvi, Leghari said, Responsible public figures have been leading rowdy protesters inside the premises of grid stations in Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshehra, Charsadda, TanK and Bannu on pretext of power outage. A report by CEO Pesco is being shared herewith that indicates instances where members of provincial assembly and other political figures, including mayors, have illegally commandeered the staff of grid stations for restoring power supply.
The minister wrote, The Pesco has to manage the load on those feeders, which run in huge and unsustainable losses due to power theft and non-payment of bills, in accordance with the planned outage hours. Such illegal actions not only jeopardize safety of the costly machinery and equipment inside the grid stations but also endangers the personal safety the Pesco staff who arc threatened every now and then.
Leghari complained, To make the matters worst, in most of the cases, police is refraining from registering FlR against delinquent persons, thus encouraging people in other districts to take law into their own hands.
It is requested that the law enforcement agencies, both federal and provincial, may be directed to provide4 strict and meaningful security at all the grid stations in the province and stop entry of unconcerned persons inside these grid stations. Moreover, cases may be registered against all the persons nominated by the Pesco authorities for forcefully entering the grid stations and illegally opening power supply, Leghari concluded.
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has declared the Suthra Punjab campaign a success. In a news conference held in Lahore, she highlighted the achievements of the campaign and criticised KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
Bokhari urged Gandapur to focus on cleaning efforts in his own jurisdiction before criticising others. “Come to Lahore, and we will show you how to pick up the garbage,” she said emphasizing the city’s effective waste management practices. She accused him of continuing to spread hatred even on Eid and recalled past incidents of grid station occupations linked to his activities.
Praising Punjab’s administration, Bokhari noted that there is no parallel in any other province. She commended the Punjab chief minister for his dedication, stating she worked tirelessly even on the day of Eid. Bokhari also detailed the exemplary cleanliness measures undertaken during Eidul Azha. “We made the best cleaning arrangements,” she said. “Highways were washed with rose water and phenyl water after cleaning, and waste management delivered 3.2 million bags to people’s homes before Eid.”
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