Hours-long power outages: JI stages rally outside Pesco offices in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) staged a protest outside the headquarters of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company against the hours-long power outages.

Led by JI provincial general secretary Abdul Wasi, the protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the Pesco.Speaking on the occasion, the JI leader said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was producing electricity at low cost. “KP is producing 8000 megawatts electricity while its requirement is 2500 megawatts,” he added. The JI leader said that the electricity generated in KP cost in the range of Re 1 to Rs 3. He lamented that the KP was not getting electricity from its own generation. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was facing severe loadshedding which had resulted in closure of industries in the province, he added.

The JI leader said that the negative effects of loadshedding was rising unemployment which resulted in the province youth getting involved in drugs and other anti-social activities.The JI leader said that his party had taken to the streets to fight the masses’ case vowing that they would continue the fight for the rights of the people. “We will not accept loadshedding and overbilling in KP,” he added.

Abdul Wasi said that the urban areas were facing eight hours and rural areas 16 hours loadshedding in the province which was not acceptable. “We will stage protests outside the Chief Minister’s House and Governor’s House if the issue was not resolved,” he addedThe JI leader said that they would even stage protests in Islamabad if their demands were not accepted.Other JI leaders, including Hamdullah Jan, Hafiz Hashmat Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed also addressed the rally.