QUETTA: The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) has condemned the ongoing unannounced load shedding across Balochistan, calling it “nothing but oppression and discrimination against the people” and demanding that the provincial government and Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) take immediate notice of the crisis.
In a statement issued from the party’s provincial secretariat, PMAP said that unannounced power outages have made life unbearable for residents in Sibi, Quetta, Pishin, Ziarat, Harnai, Daki, Musakhel, Loralai, Zhob, Sherani, Qila Saifullah, Qila Abdullah, Chaman, and other districts.
“Power outages continue day and night in all areas, due to which millions of consumers are suffering from severe mental anguish, anxiety and difficulties,” the statement read. Domestic affairs, business activities, students’ education, and daily life have been badly affected, yet the concerned authorities seem completely unsuccessful in controlling the situation.
The party alleged that deliberately prolonged and unannounced power cuts on most feeders have become the norm. It further accused subordinate administration and staff of intentionally delaying transformer repairs, failing to install new transformers to replace old ones, and creating unnecessary obstacles in electricity transmission by switching off tees in different areas.
“Citizens are being continuously tortured to hide [the authorities’] incompetence and failure in recovery,” the statement said.
PMAP also highlighted that the situation has become so dire that complaint helpline numbers are practically inactive, and no responsible officer or official is present in relevant offices to listen to or resolve people’s problems. “Citizens are forced to stumble and stumble but there is no one to help them,” the party added.
The statement noted that except for a few specific VIP areas, densely populated neighborhoods of Quetta—home to millions—are suffering severe load shedding and power outages, which it described as “open injustice and discrimination against consumers.”
“The public is deprived of basic amenities despite paying heavy electricity bills,” PMAP said.
The party formally demanded that the government and QESCO take immediate notice of the ongoing unannounced load shedding across all mentioned districts, resolve all faulty transformer and technical issues on an emergency basis, activate the complaint system, and take action against responsible officials so that public problems can be resolved immediately and the public can be relieved from unannounced load shedding.
