Prolonged power outages: Protesters torch Pesco offices, vehicles

Source Dawn

In Kohat about 500 armed men, belonging to Nasrat Khel village, blocked Kohat-Hangu Highway while women also blocked Rawalpindi Road and Bannu Road at College Town and Chakar Kot, respectively.


The armed villagers marched towards Kohat city and attacked the sub-divisional rural office of Pesco, situated in Happy valley. They damaged the furniture and gadgets at the office. However, the Pesco officials escaped in time to save their lives.

After ransacking the Pesco office, protesters went back to Nasrat Khel area and burnt a jeep, bearing registration number SNA-4722, to vent their anger. They also resorted to intense firing in the air with automatic weapons which kept police away from them. A man identified as Jasmeen, son of Irshad, was also injured in the firing and taken to hospital.

The protesters said that they were forced by Pesco to stage protest rally as it continued power loadshedding even during Iftar and Sahri timings. They said that they spent the entire night without electricity.

The elders of the village said that Pesco had been keeping power suspended for the last several days without any prior announcement. The protesters blocked the road in sizzling heat at 10:45pm and opened it for traffic at 4:30pm.

Two deputy superintendents of police, Lal Fareed and Abdul Qayyum, along with Pesco superintendent held talks with the elders of the village and convinced them to postpone the protest till Friday.

The elders said that they would meet District Coordination Officer Shahidullah and take a final decision about ending protest after getting assurance from him.

The women also took out to the roads in College Town and Chakar Kot owing to suspension of electricity and scarcity of drinking water in the areas. The women protesters dispersed peacefully after blocking the roads for half an hour.

On the other hand, police arrested Fazal Rehman and Adil and registered a case against them for attacking the Pesco office and making the officials hostages.