Protest erupts in Chitral against power outages

CHITRAL: Following a call by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), political parties and civil society groups staged a protest at Ataleeq Bridge on Friday against power loadshedding in Chitral.

The protestors blocked the road after Friday prayers and vowed to continue the sit-in until the complete end of power outages.

Leaders from various political parties, including JI’s Lower Chitral Chief Wajihuddin, PMLN’s Advocate Abdul Wali Khan Abid, PPP’s Nizar Wali Shah, ANP’s Eidul Hussain, PTI’s Shahid Ahmed, and JUI’s Maulana Abdul Sami Azad joined the protesters.

Business community leaders, such as the Traders’ Union President Noora Ahmad Khan and District Bar Association President Advocate Sajidullah, also attended.

Former MNA Shahzada Iftikharuddin, former district nazim Maghfirat Shah, and other figures expressed frustration over the power

cuts and said these were an injustice to the residents of Chitral.

Protesters said that Chitral should not bear the burden of any defaulting individuals or institutions. They said that the residents of Chitral stand united against unjust loadshedding by putting political differences aside. Due to the protest, traffic was halted on Chitral Gol and surrounding routes, with the Zhughoor-Denin Road being used as an alternative.

Simultaneously, a roadblock protest was underway at Chumarkhon village, disrupting travel for hundreds of vehicles between Peshawar and Chitral.

In an incident at Chumarkhon, demonstrators turned back the convoy of Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Mohsin Iqbal, which was transporting the body of Chitral Levies Hawaldar Muhammad Naseem, who died in a road accident near Juti Lasht on Friday. The body was later rerouted via Orghuch.

As of now, there has been no attempt from district administration officials to engage with the protesters, who remain resolute in their demands for an immediate resolution to the electricity crisis.