Governor meets PESCO chief amid PTI power-cut threats

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi held a meeting in Peshawar with PESCO Chief Akhtar Hameed Khan and Head of Grid Station Habibur Rahman Khan to discuss PESCO operations and grid stations in the province, UrduPoint reported.

The meeting took place as two lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf threatened to suspend electricity from Tarbela and Warsak dams and gas supply from Karak district to the federation, according to Aaj News. PTI MPAs Fazal Elahi and Iqbal Afridi made the statements in video messages.

Fazal Elahi said, "We have all the cards; if workers sit on them and the provincial government supports, we will win." Iqbal Afridi added, "God willing, we will show it by doing." Aaj News reported that the statements triggered concern in political and administrative circles, where some view them as an attempt to use national assets for political demands.

Tarbela Dam on the Indus River is Pakistan's largest earth-filled dam, with a height of about 143 metres and a lake area of about 250 square kilometres. In 2025, Tarbela hydropower station generated 14.3 billion units and the Tarbela Fourth Extension added 5.6 billion units, while WAPDA's 22 hydropower stations produced 33.12 billion units, roughly 30 percent of the country's electricity, Aaj News reported citing WAPDA.

Warsak Dam on the Kabul River near Peshawar has an installed capacity of 242.96 megawatts, though its current output is about 150 megawatts. Its live storage of 25,300 acre-feet helps irrigate around 119,000 acres, according to WAPDA figures cited by Aaj News.

Karak district's Nashpa oil and gas processing and LPG recovery project produces 18,400 barrels of oil and 98 million cubic feet of gas per day, OGDCL data cited by Aaj News showed. The three installations are considered part of the national energy backbone.

UrduPoint's report did not provide further details of the governor's meeting.