63 arrested for attacking grid-station

MARDAN: At least 63 people were arrested on the charges of burning official record and damaging furniture, vehicles and other equipment at the 220KV grid-station here, police sources said on Saturday.
Also, the police registered a case against 76 people, including some councillors, for attacking the grid-station in Mardan.
The protestors had blocked the busy Mardan-Nowshera road for hours and attacked the grid-station while demonstrating against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) for carrying out long hours of loadshedding in their area.
The sources said that the case was registered on the complaint of Inspector Inam Jan Khan, who is the station house officer (SHO) of the Sheikh Maltoon Town Police Station, against 76 people for allegedly damaging the furniture, vehicles, machinery and burning official record.
The police official stated in his statement that several gunmen belonging to Rashakai village in Nowshera district stormed the grid-station located on the Mardan-Nowshera road and started damaging the furniture and vehicles.
The SHO said that a police party under his command reached the grid-station and tried to persuade the protestors to vacate its premises, but they started quarrelling with the cops, who used batons and fired warning shots to disperse the protesters. He claimed the protestors were the first to start firing in the air.
Inam Jan added that the protesters were led by Mohammad Khan, newly elected district council member from Rashakai, former nazim Zubair Shah, Tehsil Council members from Rashakai including Inayatur Rehman and Sahibzada, chairman Village Council-II Nabi Gul, Janis Khan general councillor, Farooq Khan, president trader union Rashakai Bazaar, Jehanzeb, Aslam Sher, Abid, Maulana Riaz, Ayub Khan, Rahim Khan and other residents of Rashakai.
He said the police arrested 63 people during raids in different parts of Nowshera district. He added that the cops also recovered a repeater from Riazullah and a rifle from Sajjad.
The police officials in his report alleged that the protesters fired into the air to intimidate the cops. He claimed four police constables including Farhad Ali, Amin, Ziaullah and Fazle Akbar sustained injuries when the protesters pelted the cops with stones.
Meanwhile, condemning the attack on a 220KV grid station, Adviser to the Prime Minister Amir Muqam Saturday said it was the duty of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to protect national assets and the incident occurred due to the negligence of the police.
Talking to the media during a visit to the grid station, which had been attacked by protesters on Friday, Amir Muqam said the grid station was a national asset and it was duty of every Pakistani to protect the national assets. “The protesters caused loss worth approximately Rs10 million to the grid station,” he added.
He criticised local police for not taking action during the incident. He added that it was duty of the provincial government to provide security and protect the national assets.
Muqam said that he felt great sorrow that due to the attack, thousands of people of Mardan and surrounding areas faced great difficulties and supply of electricity was cut off due to maintenance of the grid station.
He added that security would be provided to all the grid stations of the province to avoid such type of incidents in future. Wapda General Manager Sabz Ali Khan and other officials were also present on the occasion.