SIALKOT, Aug 15 The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and all main trade bodies will lock up their factories and observe hunger strike from Monday (tomorrow) in protest against the prolonged hours of loadshedding.

Addressing a joint press conference at the SCCI here on Saturday, chamber president Hassan Ali Bhatti and representatives of trade bodies said the day of Monday would dawn with shutting of factories and displaying of banners all over the city urging the federal government to save the local industry from the clutches of unending power outages.

They said 20 to 22 hours of loadshedding had badly affected the production of local factories which resulted in 36 per cent decline in total exports of sports goods, surgical instruments, leather and leather goods and musical instruments.

“We have left with no option but to close down our factories to avert further financial losses caused by power outages in Sialkot,” they said.

They said despite repeated appeals made by the Sialkot business community, Gepco officials failed to provide any relief to the industrialists.

They also announced making a “chain of human hands” by traders, industrialists, exporters and workers to lodge their protest against the loadshedding.

They said thousands of the daily-wage earners had lost their jobs owing to power outages.

Pakistan Gloves Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PGMEA) chairman Irfan Elahi, Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association (SIMA) chairman Sarfraz Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (PHMA) chairman Ziaur Rehman Chaudhry, Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PLGMEA) chairman Nadeem Abbas and former chairman of the Pakistan Sports Goods Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PSGMEA) Arif Mehmood Sheikh were also present on the occasion.