SANGHAR, July 11: Most families in Sanghar and adjoining areas received quite a shock when women woke up on Thursday midnight to prepare meal for the first fast of the holy month and found there was no gas to cook food.

Most people had to skip the fast in the absence of cooked food while a few ate leftover of previous night’s meal or drank a glass of water to fulfil the religious duty.

Rabia Aajiz of Rana Rajput Colony said when she woke up to make Sehri she was shocked to see there was no gas and had to arrange meal from a nearby restaurant.

She said the sudden and unannounced suspension of gas supply poured cold water on the family’s enthusiasm for celebrating the first fast of the holy month.

Sana, a student, said that she could not prepare Sehri for her grandmother who had to eat previous night’s leftover meal to keep fast while she herself skipped the religious duty.

Qayyum Lander, a schoolteacher in Housing Society, said that no member of his family could keep the fast except his younger brother who drank a glass of water to keep fast.

Advocate Zafar Hayat of Gujri, a small town 10kms from here, said that the town residents had to keep fast either with leftover meal of previous night or with merely a glass of water.

The gas supply remained suspended in Housing Society, Zahid Town, Al Mansoorah Colony, Nizamani Mohalla, Model Town, Shahmir Panhwar Colony and Shahanshah Colony.

An advocate, Yaseen Khaskheli, filed a human rights petition in the court of sessions judge of Sanghar over the sudden suspension of gas supply, declaring authorities of SSGC as respondents.

The court has directed Sanghar’s zonal manager of SSGC Abdul Ghani Bhurgari to appear in person in the court on Friday. Mr Ghani was not available fro comments.