F.P. Report
LANDI KOTAL: The Pak-Afghan highway was still suspended for the second day in all three subdivisions i.e. Landi Kotal, Jamrud and Bara of Khyber on Friday. It is to be stated here that after circulation of TESCO order, directed the local grid stations crews across the merged tribal region to provide tribesmen only two hours power supply round the clock following withdrawal of the subsidy by the federal government.
As a result, the tribal in Khyber thronged to the streets against it and started indefinite protest demonstrations. The protestors closed down the road at Charwazghai area of Landi Kotal and in front of grid station, Jamrud, district Khyber.
In the same way, the tribesmen of Bara initiated a protest demo at Khyber square, Bara bazaar. Officials of local administration approached the protestors and on behalf of highup, offered them provision of four hours power supply in 24 hours however they declined it and said it could not meet their needs.
They established protest camps at the main road, closed the highway for all kinds of movement. The activists warned that till resuming six hours of electricity, they would not give up their agitation and announced a boycott of the up-coming polio eradication campaign. Due to closing of the road, export and import was halted and long queues of the merchandise commodities were witnessed at the side of the highway. On the other hand, as a precautionary measure, construction work on Central Asia-South Asia (CASA-1000) electricity transmission project was temporarily suspended in district Khyber.
