GILGIT: People of Hunza continued their sit-in in Aliabad for the second consecutive day on Saturday, blocking the Karakoram Highway in protest against the 22-hour load shedding and demanding uninterrupted power supply in the area where temperatures have fallen to minus 20 degrees. zero.
The protesters spent Friday night in a camp set up on the highway. They said they would call off the protest only after uninterrupted power supply was ensured to the people in the area.
The sit-in was called by the Hunza Awami Action Committee and the All Parties Traders Association. Demonstrations were held on Friday in Sost, near Khunjerab Pass, Galmit Gojal and Aliabad.
The Karakoram Highway remained blocked for many hours and a strike was observed in many areas of Hunza.
Protesters say the 22-hour power outage, amid freezing temperatures, has disrupted their lives.
Activists from different political parties and social organizations also participated in the sit-in, including a Hunza GB Assembly member, Ubaidullah Baig.
The protesters said the people of Hunza had been living in agony for the past few months as load shedding had disrupted their lives.
They said due to the 22-hour load shedding amid crisp temperatures, all commercial activities in the area have come to a standstill. They alleged that Britain’s government was not serious about alleviating their suffering.
“The federal government earns billions of rupees in taxes and duties through trade between Pakistan and China through the Khunjerab Pass, but is not interested in providing basic services to locals.”
Hunza GB Assembly member Ubaidullah Baig said his region was being discriminated against by the GB government.
PML-N leader Rehan Shah and PPP leader Zahoor Ahmed also addressed the protesters and said the people of Hunza had decided to fight for their rights. They blamed senior energy department officials for the unusual load shedding. The affected officials do not supply fuel for the operation of the thermal generators, they stated.
They called on the federal government to launch more power projects in the area to address the problem of long-term load shedding.
They declared that they would continue the protest until their demands were accepted.
On Friday night, the district administration held talks with the protesters to convince them to end the sit-in, but the agitators refused.
Published in Amanecer, January 5, 2025.
