TOBA TEK SINGH: Protests against unscheduled power loadshedding went viral on Wednesday as many cities of Punjab saw people led mainly by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) let loose their indignation on roads.

In Kamalia, scores of power loom workers, the Labour Qaumi Movement activists and the Anjuman-i-Tajran office-bearers took out a rally to condemn the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) for resorting to loadshedding of more than 18 hours.

The protesters reached Thana Chowk on Chichawatni Road and staged a sit-in and many of them lay on the road under the baking sun. They chanted the slogan ‘Go Nawaz Go’ and hit out at the government for keep lying to people about the electricity shortage problem.

Traffic remained disrupted on Chichawatni-Toba Road for more than one hour as LQM Kamalia tehsil president Malik Abdul Majeed, Anjuman-i-Tajran president Umer Farooq and Kamalia MC labour councillor Rai Muhammad Ilyas criticised the government and lamented loss of jobs for workers.

Fesco Executive Engineer Anwar Tarrar held talks with the protesters and assured them that unscheduled loadshedding would end within six days after which the protesters dispersed.

In Toba Tek Singh, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf staged a protest demonstration at Shahbaz Chowk. Led by Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq and PTI city president Arif Qazi, they also set up a protest camp where citizens kept visiting.

BAHAWALPUR: Activists of the PTI protested for hours in the city. Scores of workers assembled at the District Secretariat on Multan Road, where they demonstrated against Mepco and raised slogans against the PML-N government.

The demonstrators led by former PTI ticket-holder Asghar Joya and city president Tehseen Gardezi threw traffic out of gear.

SAHIWAL: People from all walks of life especially office-bearers of the Markazi Anjuman-i-Tajran burnt effigy of Federal Minster for Water and Power Khwaja Asif at Fowara Chowk to protest 14-16 hours outages by Mepco.

Local workers of the PTI organised a rally to condemn unscheduled loadshedding. The protest rally moved from Press Club and ended at Jogi Chowk.

CHINIOT: The PTI workers held a demonstration in Chiniot as well. Party leaders Mian Shaukat, Inayat Ali Shah, Syed Afzal Shah and others slammed the government which had failed to provide electricity to people.

They said the government would have to face a long march and sit-in in the capital if it failed to improve the situation.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2017