MUZAFFARABAD: Traders on Saturday observed a shutter down strike against power outages and water diversion from Neelum River and Jhelum River, keeping their stores closed for nearly two hours.
The enraged businessmen rallied to the field office of United Nations (UN) Military Observer for India and Pakistan to hand over their protest memorandum. They were carrying banners inscribed with slogans against loadshedding and water diversions.
The traders said that Wapda is supplying electricity to Punjab from Mangla Dam, which is a property of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), adding that they would not allow Wapda to divert water from the rivers into a dirty drain to generate 969MW electricity from Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project. They demanded provision of free electricity to AJK. However, the police and district administration stopped the protesters from passing the Quaid-i-Azam Bridge. They received the protest memorandum and assured them that it will be handed over to the UN office.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2011.
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