Gilgit Baltistan Youth in Uproar Over Persistent Power Outages

Frustrated youth in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan protested against unannounced power outages by blocking roads. They criticized the government's failure to address the power crisis despite promises, highlighting significant governance issues.

The youth of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan, frustrated with unannounced power outages, protested against the PoGB government by blocking roads on Wednesday, according to the PoGB-based news outlet Pamir Times. The Pakistani government has failed to address the power crisis, despite promises to the people of PoGB.

The general public voiced their discontent by raising slogans against the local administration for neglecting their issues. A protester demanded that the PoGB government stop playing 'bluff games.'

'PoGB can produce around lakh megawatts of electricity, yet we cannot generate even 10 megawatts today. They schedule things but execute them on their terms without informing us. This reflects poor governance,' he said, adding that the neglect extends to unresponsive electricity department officials.

The protester accused the government of conspiring against the people of PoGB by providing special lines to hotels and demanded such benefits be limited to hospitals. He warned that if the load shedding issue isn't resolved within 2-3 days, more intense protests will follow.

He noted that no significant improvements have been made by previous officials and criticized the limited flight operations at Gilgit Airport. Load shedding has been a long-standing issue in PoGB, igniting several protests in recent months. However, the administration has consistently ignored these concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)