PESHAWAR: Citizens of Peshawar on Tuesday closed Peshawar Motorway for traffic to protest against prolonged electricity outages in the provincial capital and its outskirts.
As per reports, a huge number of protesters from Akbarpur and Badhai areas, resulted in the closure of Motorway M1 from Peshawar Toll Plaza to Charsadda Interchange.
Authorities, including Peshawar Motorway Police and district administration officials, intervened by initiating negotiations with the demonstrators to bring an end to the blockade.
Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, accompanied by Energy Minister Awais Leghari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, addressed the issue of electricity shortages in a joint press conference. Minister Leghari acknowledged power theft as a national concern and emphasized the need for collaboration between the federal government and provinces, particularly KP, to tackle load shedding and related challenges.
Following a separate incident on May 25, where protesters, led by PTI MPA Fazal Elahi, took matters into their own hands by restoring electricity at the Rehman Baba Grid Station, tensions escalated. Elahi and demonstrators entered the station, activating nine feeders in areas like Hazarkhwani, Yakatoot, Akhunabad, and others, which are notorious for electricity theft and unpaid bills.
In response, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has filed a first information report (FIR) against PTI MPA Fazal Elahi for forcibly activating the feeders at the grid station.
