Karak women protest gas supply disconnection

KARAK: Hundreds of women hailing from Takht Nusrati tehsil on Saturday took to the streets against the disconnection of gas supply to domestic consumers and blocked the Indus Highway at Babalkhel area.

Led by local lady councillors, the women from Dawala and adjacent localities marched on the Indus Highway against the disconnection of gas connections to domestic consumers by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).

They complained that they were using firewood for cooking meal.

The protesting women accused the SNGPL of subjecting the people of Karak to step-motherly treatment. They said Karak provided oil and gas to the rest of the country, but its residents were deprived of their use.

The protesters added that first the company used to supply the gas with low pressure and now it had disconnected the gas completely, which has created a lot of problems for the women.

The women resolved that they would not open the road until the relevant authorities assured them of resolving the problem.

The traffic remained suspended for hours on both sides of the highway and the passengers faced inconvenience.

No one from the district administration bothered to talk to the protesting women.

The traffic police diverted the traffic to alternate routes.

Later, the women opened the highway, but threatened to block it again if their demand was not met within 24 hours.