Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday that people were justified to protest against load shedding, as persistent black-outs and gas load shedding continued to torment citizens on the seventh day of Ramadan. Several areas in Lahore went without electricity and gas for up to six hours during
the day. Protests erupted in several areas, with people burning tyres and disrupting traffic.
Men, women and children from localities in Baghbanpura, Shalimar, Garhi Shahu, Kot Lakhpat, Boistan Colony, Allama Iqbal Town, Gowala Colony, Ghazi Road, Chungi Amar Sidhu, Nishtar Colony, Awan Town and their vicinities, took to the streets after experiencing up to six hours of load shedding. As if fasting during the scorching month of July isn’t testing enough, the government has pulled all stops at making lives of those fasting utterly miserable, said Jamshed Khan, a shopkeeper from Baghbanpura, forced to close his shop due to load shedding. Reports suggest that the Defence area as well as other posh localities have had scheduled load shedding, an hour at a time. These are people who can afford generators and UPS’s, said a housewife Samina from Nishtar, What about the common man who has to work all day to be able to afford the exorbitantly priced food for Iftar? ìThere’s an energy crisis in the entire country but load shedding during Sehar and Iftar hours is the limit, said Bilal, a student of PU, ìThe government is meting out inhumane treatment during such a crucial period after assuring everyone repeatedly that this wouldn’t happen.
Citizens have no choice but to manage their religious obligations in the dark, sometimes even without cooked food. Mehar Ali, a resident of Gari Shahu, said that constant electricity blackouts had made life hell, but gas load shedding and low pressure problems during Iftar and Sehar was the limit. ìHow is one even supposed to prepare food without electricity and gas?î demanded the irate housewife. These dismal times have forced us to come out on the street,î said a protester, ìOur prime minister has a special no-outage electricity line to his house while his people are dying. Talking to citizens at his China Chowk tent office, the chief minister said that load shedding during Sehar and Iftar despite assurances is clear evidence of inefficiency and failure of the federal government. He said that people have come out on roads again because of load shedding, and it is their right to protest, however they should remain within the limits of law and property should not be ransacked.
Citizens up in arms over long hours of outages
