GHALANAI: Mohmand Agency plunged into darkness after unidentified saboteurs blew up an electricity tower on Thursday. Political administration officials said that the saboteurs destroyed an electricity tower near Pir Qilla, suspending power supply to Ghalanai and Lakrao grid stations. Tribal Electricity Supply Company (TESCO) Assistant Manager Jamshed Ali said that several areas were without electricity for some time, but the damage had been repaired and power supply restored. Unidentified miscreants had sabotaged some towers in November 2006. The government included some areas of the agency in Peshawar and Charsadda districts about eight years ago and the residents of these areas have been protesting against this move since then. The move also led to the formation of a Mohmand Resistance Movement (MRM), which has given a wheel-jam and shutter down strike call on March 29 to protest against the inclusion of tribal areas into settled ones. The MRM has been blamed for previous sabotages of electricity towers and government officials have accused the organisation for this recent subversive activity.
However, the MRM has denied involvement in this incident, saying that the administration was making false allegations against the organisation to foil its March 26 strike. The MRM demanded that 25 villages, which were part of the agency and later included in the settles areas, be re-included in the agency.