After the Isha prayers, hundreds of perturbed traders and shopkeepers blocked the Sialkot GT road and offered Taraweeh prayers on the road as a protest against the stepped up 22 hours long daily “forced” load shedding of electricity in Daska city and its surrounding areas. The protest rally began from Sambrial Road and ended at Civil Rest House Chowk after passing through all the main intercity roads in Daska. The participants were carrying banners and placards and they chanted anti-government slogans. They parked tractors and trailers in the middle of the roads and kept the traffic blocked for nearly two hours by burning tyres. People have been angered and inconvenienced by the power loadshedding during Iftar and Sehri time and their miseries have been exacerbated by the hot and humid weather. Traders, tailors and shopkeepers said that it seemed like HESCO had no proper plan in place for loadshedding and had not devised a sutiable timetable for the month of Ramzan. According to traders, there has been no relief despite shops being closed after Asr prayers. Tailors are annoyed because unscheduled power outages disturb their work and they are to deliver clothes on schedule. Residents suffering at the hands of unscheduled and prolonged power outages and electricity fluctuation took to the streets in spite of the heat and the fact that many were fasting.
