Public Protest Erupts in Zhob Against KESCO Excesses and Lawlessness on PkNAP’s Call

**Zhob:** Hundreds of people took to the streets in Zhob on the call of the **Pakhtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP)** to protest against alleged excesses by the **Quetta Electric Supply Company (KESCO)** and the deteriorating law and order situation in the region.

A large protest rally was held at **Zarif Shaheed Park**, where PkNAP provincial vice president **Abdul Qayyum Mandokhail Advocate**, central committee member **Maulvi Abdullah**, regional secretary **Rehmat Khan**, PSO senior joint secretary **Aimal Sarwan**, and provincial culture secretary **Mamoon Shaoor** addressed the gathering.

The speakers strongly criticized KESCO, alleging that people across the province, particularly in **South Pakhtunkhwa**, are being subjected to severe hardship due to prolonged power outages. They said that the shutdown of all feeders has badly affected agricultural consumers, while domestic users are also facing extreme difficulties.

The speakers further alleged that in addition to feeder shutdowns, electricity wires are being removed from poles, terming it an open looting of public property. They maintained that all feeders, transformers, electricity poles, and transmission lines in Zhob and other areas were installed through annual **PSDP funds of former elected representatives**, and therefore KESCO has no legal or moral right to relocate or dismantle these installations. Such actions, they said, are anti-public and unacceptable.

Highlighting the law and order situation, the speakers said that **theft, robbery, and drug trafficking** are rampant in Zhob and surrounding areas, pushing the youth toward substance abuse. They claimed that travel from Zhob to Quetta has become unsafe, as armed groups are looting passenger vehicles as well as heavy trucks and trailers, despite the presence of **FC check posts every 10 to 20 kilometers**.

They questioned how such incidents continue to occur despite heavy security deployment, calling it a serious question mark on the performance of security institutions.

The speakers also strongly criticized what they termed the **“Form-47 government,”** accusing it of shutting down avenues of employment. They said the ban on the petrol business has pushed not just hundreds, but **thousands of families into severe economic hardship**, further aggravating public suffering in the region.