Amjad Hadi yousafzai
This year, the winter in Peshawar seems to have decided that people should shiver not only from the cold but also from the kind favors of PESCO. The temperature is ready to slip below zero, while electricity disappears as if someone offended it and it went back to its parents’ home.
Inside the house, the heater stands silently in a corner, mourning its helplessness, and people wrapped in blankets look as if they belong in some documentary about wildlife in Antarctica. A cup of tea barely gets warm before it cools down again due to load-shedding—almost as if PESCO controls its temperature too.
Interestingly, the terms “scheduled” and “unscheduled” load-shedding have become outdated. Now the trend is “surprise load-shedding.” Electricity comes and goes whenever it pleases—no need to inform anyone. Life no longer depends on the power supply, but rather on PESCO’s mood.
Meanwhile, the people at PESCO smile warmly and say, “The system is overloaded.” It seems the people of Peshawar forget to seek permission from the system before turning on a switch, and in revenge, the system punishes them through more load-shedding.
In winter, the residents of Peshawar often ask each other philosophical questions when the power goes out:
“When did electricity come last?”
And the reply is:
“What’s the point of asking when it comes? It doesn’t even have a fixed time for going!”
From milkmen to bakers, everyone in the markets comments on load-shedding with such expertise that it seems we possess the world’s finest critical talent—PESCO has simply provided the platform.
This beautiful combination of Peshawar’s winter and load-shedding is testing the patience of the public more than ever. This hide-and-seek of electricity has taught us one lesson:
If you ever see light… consider it a sign of hope. Otherwise, it won’t be long before we fully become a nation of candles and power banks.
In the end, all I will say is:
People of Peshawar! Stay strong. The cold, the darkness, the difficulties—everything is temporary.
But… when will this “temporary” end? Don’t ask this question, or the electricity might get even more offended!
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