Chitral village sit-in against expensive electricity enters 10th day
CHITRAL: Residents of Reshun village in Upper Chitral district continued their sit-in for the 10th day on Saturday against high electricity prices. The protest has also drawn participation from residents of surrounding areas of Zait and Charun. Women have also set up a separate protest camp at Ramdas Chowk. The protesters have issued an ultimatum to the provincial government to reduce the…
Reshun village in Upper Chitral district experienced its 10th day of a sit-in on Saturday, protesting exorbitant electricity rates. This demonstration was joined by inhabitants of nearby areas in Zait and Charun. Additionally, women established a separate protest encampment at Ramdas Chowk. Protesters have threatened to obstruct the crucial Chitral-Shandur Road if the provincial government does not reduce the electricity rate per unit from the present Rs15 to Rs5 by September 24.
Despite the non-stop protest, the provincial government has refrained from engaging in discussions with the protesters. Speaking to Dawn by phone, former Nazim and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Amirullah provided updates on a recent meeting between the Reshun Power Committee and the Upper Chitral deputy commissioner, Ihsanullah.
He confirmed the deputy commissioner’s support for the committee's demands and stated that he would personally present their case at a high-level meeting in Peshawar on September 22. However, Amirullah emphasized that the sit-in would persist until their demands are addressed. In Lower Chitral, Jamaat-i-Islami organized a motorcycle rally to protest the steep petroleum levy and mounting inflation.
Wajihuddin, the JI district emir, led the rally, which commenced from Ataliq Bridge and proceeded through key markets. Maulana Jamshid Ahmad, Shujaul Haq Baig, and Abdul Haq addressed the attendees, stating that the JI's public movement is reaching a critical juncture that will soon compel the government to extend genuine relief to citizens.
Meanwhile, grade 11 students at Government Higher Secondary School in Mastuj's Upper Chitral entered their seventh day of a sit-in on Saturday. The education administration refused to rescind an edict that expelled 28 female students, prohibiting them from attending the institution. The students, supported by their parents and civil society members, established a protest encampment outside the school's main entrance, singing chants against the education department and demanding an immediate reversal of the decision.
A protesting parent asserted, "Every student possesses a fundamental and legal right to pursue their education in an institution of their choosing. The administration is exceeding its authority by attempting to limit our daughters' freedom of choice and coercing them into enrolling in an inadequately equipped college situated in a rented building."
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
