JI Threatens Protests Over Power Outages in Haripur

Jamaat-i-Islami has warned of street protests and office blockades if Peshawar Electric Supply Company fails to provide a steady power supply in Haripur, Pakistan. Local businesses suffer due to frequent power cuts. Tahir Atiq Siddiqui also criticized wage violations and government inefficiency.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) is gearing up to stage public demonstrations and encircle the offices of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) if the residents of Haripur, Pakistan, continue to endure unreliable power supply. This warning was issued by JI Haripur’s emir, Tahir Atiq Siddiqui, while addressing the media on Wednesday.

The announcement followed an event hosted by Siddiqui in honor of the newly-elected body of the Haripur Press Club. Attendees included the district general secretary, Qazi Tanzeelur Rehman. According to Siddiqui, residents have suffered from unannounced two-weekly outages for months, which have severely impacted small businesses.

Siddiqui highlighted that daily wage earners working in welding shops, grinding units, marble factories, tailors' workshops, and other industries face dire economic consequences due to the eight-hour daily power cuts. He accused PESCO of neglectfulness and slammed the provincial government and its policies, particularly criticizing the Minimum Wage Act violations and Haripur Tehsil Municipal Administration’s financial crisis under Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's leadership.