FAISALABAD – Thousands of textile workers and industrialists streamed into city streets, once again, to protest against three-day weekly gas load-shedding that has literally crushed the business activity in the city called the Manchester of Pakistan.
The industry figures have threatened to turn the intermittent protests into an organised movement and have announced to reschedule their long march to Islamabad that was earlier called off at the intervention of Punjab Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif who was then assured by Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gillani that five-day weekly gas supplies to Faisalabad region would be provided at all costs. The protestors gathered outside the regional headquarter of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) at Sargodha Road and blocked the main highway linking Lahore-Islamabad Motorway for several hours disrupting the traffic.
The protestors beat their chests, burned the tyres, chanted anti-government slogans and demanded five-day weekly gas supply for the commercial consumers of the city.
The PM also called a meeting of Gas Load Management Committee in Islamabad to discuss the issues pertaining to gas cuts. The agenda of the meeting was to draw out a plan to minimise the negative impact of gas load-shedding on textile sector. The PM, in his meeting with Shahbaz Sharif early this year, had assured that five-day uninterrupted gas supply would be provided to Faisalabad but the SNGPL authorities disregarded his directions.
It widened the credibility gap between the protestors and the government resulting massive trust deficit hindering the negotiations. However the situation improved due to the end of winter resulting less consumption of gas by the domestic consumers. Punjab has a demand of 6,000 million cubic feet gas on daily basis while it is just supplied only half of the total requirement that has pushed the shortfall to 3,000 million cubic feet. The renewed protests programme was launched after a joint meeting of all traders organisations unanimously decided to go ahead as a last resort to restore the gas supply to their textile units.
All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association Regional Chairman Muhammad Saeed Sheikh announced the new strategic plan of protest rallies after a meeting attended by the representatives of all trade organisations. “We have no other option left as we are, once again, on the roads as a matter of survival”, said Saeed Sheikh.
Earlier we called off our strike at the assurance of Shahbaz Sharif but at the end of the day his promise was not materialised, he said. “Now we have decided that we will not call off our protest at the verbal guarantee or a mere lip service from any quarter”, he said.
e was accompanied by FCCI former presidents Sheikh Abdul Qayyum, Mian Aftab Ahmed, Sheikh Khalid Habib, Mian Shabbir Ahmed and Shahid Sheikh. Saeed Sheikh said the business community would defy the gas load shedding schedule and would keep the factories open. Other organisations participating in the protests were All Pakistan Sizing Association, All Pakistan Textile Manufacturers Association, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association and Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association.
Woman wounded by dacoits dies in hospital: The residents of Chukera village came into streets again to record their protest as the woman injured in a robbery bid on April 7 died in a hospital. Last week, the residents held a protest rally after dacoits killed two brothers and wounded three members of a family including parents and wife of one of the deceased during a robbery at Chukera village under the jurisdiction of Ghulam Muhammad Abad Police Station.
Reportedly, a group of dacoits in security uniforms entered a house at night and held the whole family hostage. During the robbery, 25-year-old Noor Akbar and his younger brother 170-year-old Akhtar sons of Khan Mohammad were shot dead by the dacoits after they tried to resist. During the firing, their father Khan Muhammad, mother Haleema Bibi and Shazia the wife of Noor Akbar were also injured. The residents of the area angrily reacted to the tragic incident as Shazia died at the Allied Hospital and hundreds of the residents of Chukera village staged a sit-in at Narrwala Chowk.
They blamed Regional Police officer (RPO) Aftab Ahmed Cheema for discriminating the rich and poor victims of robberies and demanded the suspension of Station House Officer (SHO) Malik Shahid who failed to track down the offenders and urged the authorities to set up a special team to investigate thie robbery that took three lives. The Lyallpur Town Investigation deputy superintendent of police (DSP) conceded their demands and assured the victims that culprits would be brought to books.
CROSSFIRE VICTIM DIEs IN HOSPITAL: An 11-year-old boy, caught in a crossfire between two parties on March 15, succumbed to injuries in the Allied Hospital. Reportedly, the deceased Shazul Hassan was hit by a stray bullet in Chak No 131 RB in Sahianwala when two parties were involved in firing over a property dispute. The critically wounded victim was taken to the Allied Hospital where he could not survive.
