Thousands protest against power cuts in Pakistan's Balochistan

Makran [Pakistan], July 30 : Thousands of people took to the streets in protest against the frequent power cuts in Kech, Gwadar and Panjgur districts in Balochistan province of Pakistan.
Protesters, carrying placards and banners inscribed with their demands, marched on various streets of Turbat and chanted slogans against the government, Dawn reported.
All the three districts are facing 16 to 18 hours of power suspension on a daily basis amid temperatures ranging between 51 and 52 degrees Centigrade.
The residents of Absar area also staged rallies. The protesters staged a sit-in in front of the offices of the Makran commissioner, the deputy commissioner and Qesco. They called for an immediate end to the power supply problem, Dawn reported.
In a related development, Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to resolve the issue of electricity supply to Makran division.
In a letter addressed to Khan, the chief minister requested him to take up with Iranian authorities the issue of suspension of power supply to Makran for the past one month and work out a mechanism to connect the division with the national grid.
Geo News earlier reported the worsening state of Pakistan's energy crisis, as the country was facing an electricity shortfall of somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 megawatts.
Unannounced load-shedding has reached its peak in several areas of Pakistan, including Balochistan, due to the electricity shortfall.
Unannounced power suspension of up to three to five hours at many places during the last 72 hours had heightened the misery of the public.
Due to the power crisis, besides Lahore, long hours of load-shedding are also taking place in other cities, including Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi.