PESHAWAR
Provincial minister for religious affairs Adnan Qadri on Friday strongly condemned the alleged threat by Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) chief to completely cut electricity supply to the District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital in Landi Kotal within the next seven days.
Calling the move “inhuman, illegal, and unacceptable,” the minister criticized the behavior of the Tesco chief, accusing the official of using coercive tactics rather than focusing on public service.
“Threatening to disconnect electricity to a critical facility like a hospital is not only cruel to patients but a clear violation of basic human rights,” Qadri said. “Electricity is a fundamental right for patients, and we will not allow it to be disrupted under any circumstances.”
He warned that if Tesco persisted with this approach, a full-scale protest campaign would be launched at the provincial and national levels, including in the Senate.
The minister revealed that the hospital’s electricity meter was located inside a Tesco-grade station, from where, he claims, inflated and bogus bills are issued. Despite this, he said, five percent of the hospital’s electricity dues, approximately Rs 50 million, were paid just three weeks ago through his personal intervention.
“Instead of acknowledging this effort, Tesco has reduced the hospital’s power supply from eight hours to just four, and is now threatening to cut it off completely. This is deeply regrettable and condemnable,” he said.
Qadri also criticized the federal government, stating that the tribal districts have long been deprived of basic services, and now even essential facilities like electricity in hospitals are under threat. He demanded that the Tesco chief ensure uninterrupted power supply to the hospital and cease what he called a campaign of “intimidation and threats.”
“Targeting healthcare facilities in political or administrative disputes is a grave injustice to the poor patients who rely on them,” he added.
