Pakistan: Lower Kohistan residents continue KKH blockade as power project benefits bypass local communities

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], June 7 (ANI): Protests in Lower Kohistan entered their fourth consecutive day as a committee of religious scholars and local elders vowed to continue blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) until electricity generated by the Dubair-Khawar hydropower project is supplied to residents, as reported by Dawn.

According to Dawn, addressing a press conference, Islahi Committee leader Maulana Kareemdad announced that demonstrators would maintain both the highway blockade and the suspension of electricity transmission from the hydropower station to the national grid.

However, in response to the hardships faced by travellers, the committee revised the protest schedule, limiting the daily road closure to between 2 pm and 8 pm.

Kareemdad said the decision was taken after extensive consultations among committee members regarding the ongoing movement aimed at pressuring the federal government and the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to activate the upgraded 132kV grid station and provide electricity to residents of Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts.

He stated that the region, despite hosting major hydropower infrastructure, continues to suffer from inadequate electricity access.

The committee leader stated that while the protest strategy had been adjusted, there would be no compromise on the central demand for local electrification.

He urged travellers heading between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) to avoid using the KKH during protest hours.

Kareemdad also warned authorities against attempting to resume electricity generation for the national grid without first addressing the concerns of local communities.

He cautioned that any such move could trigger a stronger public response, as highlighted by Dawn.

Following the committee’s announcement, protesters once again blocked the strategic highway after 2 pm, disrupting traffic and causing difficulties for passengers travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and PoGB.

Meanwhile, Lower Kohistan District Police Officer Zafar Ahmad Khan inspected the upgraded grid station in Pattan and reviewed ongoing work in the region, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)

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