Protest demonstration against prolonged power off was held here at Bacha square, bazaar Landi Kotal on Sunday. Khasadar force open fire on protesters including children who carried rally to denounce power cut. In response, the protesters stoned the troops and injured three of them.
The local declared it an unacceptable act of the Khasadar and said that the voice for the rights could not be suppressed though unfair operation and demanded forthwith action against all those force personnel involved in it.
On the other hand the Khasadar force person said that they conducted aerial firing after the protesters wounded three of the force personnel.
The rally was organized Jamat-e-Islami(JI)Landi Kotal and was attended by number of people beside scores of the party workers.
Addressing on the occasion, Ameer JI Landi Kotal Zia-ul-Haq Afridi,naib-ameer Abdurrauf Shinwari, Muqtader Shah and others came hard on Wapda officials for suspending supply of electricity to the area and said prolonged and unscheduled load shedding had affected every segment of the society including hospitals and the local bazaar.
They criticized President of bazaar traders union for his inefficiency and said that in spite the fact that he had received majority of votes, he failed to restore electricity to the bazaar. The supply had been suspended for the last three years. “Because power cuts, caring activities in the hospital have come to a halt and we are compelled to take our patients to Peshawar health centers for treatment”, they remarked.
The protesters also condemned the Member of Parliament from the constituency for turning blind eye towards the problems being faced by the residents of the area.
At the end, the protesters marched in front of local press club and dispersed peacefully.
Published in Daily Times, February 11th 2019.
