Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Protests by workers of the Dasu Hydropower Project entered their second consecutive day, as demonstrators blocked the Karakoram Highway to demand overdue wages and fair enforcement of Pakistan’s labour laws. The blockade, which lasted several hours, disrupted traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB), Dawn reported.
Hundreds of labourers marched along the highway and gathered in the Chuchang area of Upper Kohistan, chanting slogans against what they described as exploitation and negligence by the company executing the multi-billion-rupee energy project.
According to the protesters, despite a government notification setting the monthly wage for 26 working days at Rs 40,000, workers continue to receive less pay and face long delays in payment.
“The company’s repeated delays in releasing wages have pushed us to desperation—we can’t even afford basic food or our children’s education,” said one protester. Workers also accused project management of making false promises, adding that local shopkeepers have now stopped extending them credit.
The demonstrators warned they would stop work altogether if their demands remained unmet, potentially halting progress on one of Pakistan’s key hydropower initiatives. They called on district authorities to ensure the company complies with official wage notifications and national labour laws.
Separately, the Baffa-Pakhal administration announced plans to launch an anti-encroachment drive across the tehsil, targeting illegal structures built along the Karakoram Highway and other major routes. Assistant Commissioner Nayab Abbasi said notices had been issued to encroachers, warning that failure to comply would result in strict action.
She added that the operation aims to improve traffic flow and civic order, noting that even a dilapidated community centre will be demolished to make way for a new facility, Dawn reported.
