LAHORE, July 10: Loadshedding, crime and extra-judicial killings have converted the province into a land of desperation. Liaqat Baloch of MMA said this here on Monday, briefing media after meeting of the alliance’s Punjab chapter.

He said people had lost confidence in the rulers, who had failed to protect them from outlaws as well as the so-called law-enforcing agencies.

He said people were protesting against inflation, loadshedding and worsening law and order but the rulers seemed to be impervious to their plight. He said the federal government was directly responsible for the power crisis because of delayed and faulty decision-making.

The agriculture sector was suffering because there was no power to run tube-wells, while daily wagers were bearing the brunt of outages as factories were closing down and they were unable to find work, he said.

Baloch demanded a commission comprising members of higher judiciary to look into financial bungling and `cartelisation’ of economy. Citing example of sugar and cement sectors, he said the economy had been held hostage by mafias.

He said all district-level MMA bodies had been activated to begin protest movement against the government, and added the days of dictator were numbered.