The residents of Drosh, the second-largest commercial town in the mountainous Chitral district, have taken to the streets in a widespread protest against extended power outages. Hundreds of demonstrators blocked major roads and enforced a complete shutter-down of local businesses, voicing their grievances against the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).
Chants of discontent echoed through the town as protesters demanded an immediate end to load-shedding in the district. The protestors argued that Chitral, which generates its own hydropower, should not be subjected to such prolonged blackouts.
Referring to a previous decision by then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had approved 35MW of electricity specifically for the region, they accused WAPDA of disregarding this order and continuing illegal load-shedding.
“We have ample hydropower here. It is unacceptable that we endure 8 to 12 hours of outages when we produce our own electricity,” protesters stated. “Our demands are simple: zero load-shedding for Chitral. We will not stop until they are met.”
Despite its abundant water resources and potential to generate hundreds of megawatts of electricity, Chitral has long struggled with inconsistent power supply. The district is home to a functional 108MW hydropower station, but residents still face regular outages, causing significant disruption to daily life.
The protestors have vowed to continue their demonstrations until their demands are addressed by the authorities.
