ISLAMABAD: Federal Energy Minister Awais Leghari has sought assistance from Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi following raids on grid stations led by provincial assembly members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a letter to Mohsin Naqvi, Awais Leghari highlighted the situation as a threat to electricity staff and grid stations. The letter stated that responsible individuals are leading protests within the grid station premises, issuing illegal orders to staff, and police are not registering FIRs.
The letter mentioned that provincial assembly members and others issued illegal orders to grid station staff regarding power restoration. These feeders are associated with significant losses and electricity theft. The letter also warned that this situation encourages people in other districts to take the law into their own hands. It called for strict security at grids by law enforcement agencies and preventing unauthorised persons from entering the grids.
The letter included a report from the PESCO chief. Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur have agreed to consult and negotiate over the next two days regarding the 12-hour load shedding in the province.
Ali Amin Gandapur assured Mohsin Naqvi of the protection of grid stations.
Mohsin Naqvi expressed efforts to resolve the load shedding issue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa soon, emphasizing that protecting all federal installations is the government’s responsibility.
It is noteworthy that the load shedding dispute in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has intensified. After the provincial minister, Chief Minister KP Ali Amin Gandapur personally reached the grid station to restore electricity. Ali Amin Gandapur visited DI Khan grid station to restore power to his area and fixed the load shedding duration at 12 hours as per his announcement.
Earlier, residents protested on Warsak Road in Peshawar against load shedding, and MPA Fazal Elahi entered Rehman Baba grid station with protesters, forcibly restoring power from four feeders.
According to the PESCO spokesperson, forcibly restoring power to 10 feeders with line losses from Rehman Baba grid station caused a loss of Rs. 2.64 million to PESCO.
