LAKKI MARWAT - The residents’ protest against excessive loadshedding turned violent and the mob attacked Pesco subdivision office and damaged power transformers and public as well as government properties in Lakki Marwat on Tuesday.
A large number of villagers from Abakhel, Dallokhel and other hamlets reached Lakki city and held a demonstration at Kargil Chowk against excessive power outages. They blocked Bannu-Mianwali road for vehicular traffic and chanted slogans against Wapda and government. The protesters also burnt tyres in the middle of road.
Speaking on the occasion, a former nazim Johar Muhammad, JUI-F district ameer Maulana Abdul Rahim, Tanzeemul Haq Pakistan central vice president Haji Zarwali Khan and others set a two day deadline and warned that the sphere of protest campaign would be expanded if authorities concerned of Pesco did not stop unscheduled and unfair electricity load shedding.
They said that continuous power breakdowns had made the lives of villagers miserable besides causing shortage of water in urban and rural localities.
“The government could not fulfill its promise of not carrying out loadshedding at Sehri, Iftar and taraveeh timings”, they maintained, calling upon the rulers to take prompt measures for resolving power related problems being faced by people.
“Despite paying utility bills regularly the residents of area are not being provided electricity facility round the clock”, they told.
As soon as the protest against load shedding ended a group of protesters mostly youths turned violent and started rioting in the urban locality. They attacked the office of Pesco Lakki sub division where they burnt official record, furniture, a pickup trucker and other goods.
The rioters pelted the office of Nadra with stones and bricks and they also tried to set on fire a pickup trucker loaded with beverages. They also shattered the panes of outer gate of national bank branch.
The protesters damaged several power transformers and broke electricity and gas metres installed outside the houses and shops in the bazaars and residential localities of Lakki city.
A busiest Kabir market owned by the family of MPA Munawar Khan Marwat also came under attack where mud and straw made sheds were burnt to ashes and electricity metres were damaged. Some miscreants also tried to attack the residence of MPA Munawar Khan at Michenkhel adda but security guards successfully foiled the bid.
Residents of the town watched a hide and seek game between police and protesters the whole day. Eyewitness said that police fired shots in the air and resorted to baton charge to bring the situation under control. Many traders and shopkeepers kept their shops and outlets closed fearing that the miscreants may harm their business.
“Over two dozen miscreants involved in rioting and damaging government and public properties were arrested”, claimed DPO Umar Riaz. He said that the law enforcers took prompt action against troublemakers and restored peace in the urban locality.
“The situation is completely under control as patrolling was increased”, he told, saying that cases will be registered against those who blocked roads and damaged properties.
Our staff reporter from Karak adds: People of Sordag and adjacent areas held a protest demonstration against excessive electricity loadshedding, which reached 22 hours, here on Tuesday.
The protesters blocked Kohat Bannu Road at Sordag. Hundreds enraged protestors led by Shamsul Arifeen, Dr Imtiaz and Ajmal Khan gathered at Sordag in the morning and blocked the Kohat Bannu road for few hours and long queue of vehicles waited for the reopening of the road.
Several times the protestors and the passengers also scuffled over blockade of road. While addressing to the protestors the speakers strongly condemned the 22 hours long loadshedding and power cuts and recalled that the government has miserably failed in honouring its words that the timings of Iftar, Sehr and Taraweeh would be exempted from loadshedding.