Pakistan: PTI government local representatives protest against unannounced, prolonged power cuts
May 17, 2022
Haripur (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) [Pakistan], May 17 : Suffering from an extreme power crunch, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) local government representatives staged a demonstration outside the Haripur deputy commissioners' office in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa district of Pakistan.
The protest rally by the members of the PTI local government began in the Main Bazaar and culminated at Siddique Akbar Chowk, reported The Express Tribune.
The angry mob of protesters had gathered around the deputy commissioner's office, chanting slogans against the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authorities (WAPDA).
The protesters complained that the frequent power cuts in Pakistan were posing a serious problem to the youths, especially the students. In addition, the dissenters stated that they were unable to run water motors and tube wells due to the incessant load-sheddings, reported The Express Tribune.
Further, the group of demonstrators said that due to the sweltering heat, they were forced to take elderly people to the hospitals. The behaviour of the Pakistan assistant commissioner also drew in slogans from the protesters as well.
The frustrated dissenters gave a two-day warning to the WAPDA executive engineer and the local administration to resolve the persistent and unannounced power cuts in the country. The failure to do so will bring people from various parts of Pakistan to the streets who will stage strong protests and block roads, added the demonstrators, reported The Express Tribune.
Further, the PTI local representatives including Azeem Khan, Malik Liaquat Hayat, and Waheed Khan to name a few, while addressing the protesters, said that although the deputy commissioner of Pakistan had been informed about the worsening situation in the country, he failed to take any notice.
Meanwhile, the closure of several power plants in Pakistan due to lack of fuel and other technical pitfalls has caused an electricity shortfall resulting in power outages lasting up to several hours every day. Few powerplants received capacity payments post-shutdown as well.
Pakistan is also battling with a crippling economy as the Pakistani rupee has hit an all-time low against the US Dollar. The reason for this recession is the delay in the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and falling foreign currency reserves.
