NOWSHERA: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has urged district police and local administration to file a First Information Report (FIR) against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Zulfiqar Khan for forcibly restoring electricity to various areas.
The request follows the lawmaker’s actions in storming two grid stations, Pabbi and Taroja, along with a group of supporters, and coercively reinstating power to 17 feeders. Pesco claimed the incident resulted in significant financial losses to the public exchequer.
Similar incidents of forceful power restoration have been reported in Mardan, Charsadda, Tank, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan), and Peshawar.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also stormed a grid station in DI Khan on Wednesday, restoring power to certain areas and imposing his own outage plan as the loadshedding crisis worsened in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The lawmaker’s actions were part of a broader trend of lawmakers raiding power control facilities and abusing their authority.
Gandapur announced that the maximum loadshedding duration would be capped at 12 hours. “No area will face loadshedding beyond 12 hours. Assembly members should visit grid stations in their respective areas to ensure compliance with the loadshedding schedule,” he stated.
The trend of forcibly entering grid stations in KP began when MPA Fazal Elahi, a member of the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), stormed the Rehman Baba grid station in Peshawar on Tuesday to restore power after protests erupted over loadshedding.
In May, furious citizens stormed the Hazar Khawani grid station in Peshawar due to repeated loadshedding during extreme heat.
It’s worth noting that Gandapur had previously held talks with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Energy Minister Awais Leghari to address the issue through negotiations.
Pesco also shared detailed information about the province’s electricity feeders and the corresponding loadshedding durations. According to Pesco, the 1,300-plus feeders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are categorized based on line losses, with varying durations of loadshedding imposed accordingly.
The spokesperson stated that losses from electricity theft and unpaid arrears are contributing to prolonged outages, with urban areas facing between four to six hours of loadshedding, and suburban areas enduring up to 16 hours.
Meanwhile, PTI workers staged a protest in Mardan against loadshedding on Malakand Road, with negotiations taking place between the demonstrators and Wapda officials.
