Interior minister urged to act against PTI lawmakers for grid hijacking

PESHAWAR: The Chief Executive Officer of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) has initiated action against ten lawmakers and mayors of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

In a formal complaint to the Managing Director of the Power Planning Monitoring Company (PPMC), PESCO chief urges action against the said lawmakers for forcibly switching on 153 electricity feeders of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) during Eid days in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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In response, Federal Minister for Energy Owais Ahmed Laghari has written to Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, requesting the deployment of federal and provincial law enforcement agencies to protect WAPDA grid stations in the region.

The energy minister’s letter highlights the gravity of the situation, pointing out that protestors, led by elected officials, unlawfully entered grid stations in Tank, Bannu, Nowshera, Mardan, and Charsadda, and forcibly reactivated the feeders. These feeders are reportedly suffering losses due to electricity theft and unpaid bills, which PESCO is trying to manage effectively.

The illegal actions of these public representatives, according to the letter, have not only jeopardised the safety of critical equipment and machinery within the grid stations but have also endangered the lives of PESCO staff.

The energy minister has also criticised the police for failing to register FIRs for these incidents, which he believes is encouraging others to flout the law.

Minister Laghari has urged the Interior Minister to instruct law enforcement agencies to secure the grid stations and prevent unauthorised access. He also called for legal action against those responsible for the unauthorised activation of electricity feeders.

Yesterday, the CEO of PESCO sent a detailed letter to the MD of PPMC, identifying PTI lawmakers involved in the illegal activation of WAPDA feeders across six districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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The letter named several individuals, including MPA Fazal Elahi, MNA Zulfiqar Khan, MNA Shah Ahed, MPA Ihtisham Khan, MPA Usman Bhatni, and Mayor Inam, among others, as being responsible for these actions. Despite these clear violations, no FIRs have yet been registered against the identified individuals.