Energy minister seeks interior minister’s help to secure K-P grid stations

Awais Leghari underscores need for law enforcement agencies to tighten security measures

Federal Energy Minister Awais Leghari, in a letter to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, has sought urgent assistance to manage protests led by provincial assembly members at various grid stations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Leghari expressed concern over the failure of local police to register cases related to these incidents.

The protests, reportedly organised by responsible individuals, have caused disruptions at grid stations in Mardan, Charsadda, Tank, Bannu, and Peshawar, primarily due to severe power outages.

Leghari included a report from the CEO of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) detailing the impact of these demonstrations.

The minister pointed out that provincial assembly members and others had unlawfully instructed grid station staff to restore electricity, exacerbating issues such as line losses and electricity theft at affected feeders. He also highlighted the risks posed to grid station security and staff safety.

Leghari stressed the immediate need for enhanced security measures by law enforcement agencies at grid stations. He called for strict actions against unauthorised individuals attempting to enter and forcefully restore electricity.

Additionally, Leghari demanded prompt steps to prevent unauthorized access to grid stations in K-P and urged for the registration of cases against those responsible for disrupting operations and endangering security.

K-P CM Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday led a crowd to a grid station in Dera Ismail Khan where he personally restored electricity, announcing an end to any load-shedding that exceeded 12 hours in the province.

The chief minister was accompanied by DPO Nasir Mahmood and DSP Adnan, as he visited DI Khan to resolve the ongoing issue of prolonged load shedding, according to Express News.

The visit came amid a dispute between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments over electricity load shedding,

The Press Secretary for the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa later confirmed that CM Gandapur has fixed the schedule for load shedding, stating that load shedding will not exceed 12 hours in any area from now on.

The PTI leader called on all parliamentarians in the province to visit their respective grid stations to implement the 12-hour load-shedding schedule.

Meanwhile, PTI MPA Fazal Elahi Rehman also visited the Rahman Baba Grid Station twice and restored electricity to 10 feeders forcibly.

According to PESCO officials, after bringing the feeders to life, Fazal Elahi left, and electricity was cut off again in the morning, but he returned and restored electricity to four more feeders.

Mohsin Naqvi and K-P CM Gandapur also held discussions regarding the ongoing electricity shortage in the province.

During their meeting, Gandapur expressed his concerns to Minister Naqvi about the 12-hour load shedding affecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They agreed to continue their discussions over the next two days to find a resolution to the issue.

The conversation centred on resolving any misunderstandings through dialogue and mutual understanding. Chief Minister Gandapur assured Minister Naqvi about the security arrangements in place at grid stations across the province.

Minister Naqvi reiterated the government's commitment to promptly addressing the electricity shortage and stressed the importance of securing federal facilities.