FAISALABAD, May 31: Powerloom workers on Thursday forced the traders in eight bazaars of Clock Tower to pull their shutters down, allegedly looted several shops and damaged a bank building on Kotwali Road and several traffic signals in protest against unscheduled electricity loadshedding.
The stick-wielding workers took out protest rallies from Faizabad, Sidhar, Rashidabad and other areas and headed towards the District Council Chowk. The protesters blocked traffic at the chowk for more than five hours. The rioters looted a shop near Madanpura on Narawala Road where someone opened fire injuring two protesters who were admitted to hospital. They also looted nearby shops and damaged billboards. On Tariq Road, the protesters damaged the PTCL installations.
Immediately after entering the Bhawana Bazaar, the enraged workers forced the shopkeepers to pull their shutters down. They took a round of other Clock Tower bazaars and compelled the traders to close their business. Traffic remained blocked on Jhang, Canal, Narawala and Sheikhupura roads.
The rioters attacked the petrol pump on Jail Road reportedly owned by opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmed and damaged some of its belongings. The pump administration called the police for protection; however, the force reached the spot late as usual.
Police allegedly played role of a silent spectator rather to pacify leaders of rallies by holding talks with them. The police did not bother to take clubs from the protesters even when they were assembling.
All banks and petrol pumps en route the rallies were got closed by police.
Security measures seemed to be insufficient though the police were informed on Wednesday that protest rallies would be taken out from different parts of the city on Thursday. The protesters also attacked a bank on Kotwali Road.
Sensing critical law and order situation, the police mock exercise scheduled at the Police Lines on Thursday was postponed.
A group of protesters also besieged the Fesco offices on Canal Road and chanted slogans against the federal government.
TOBA TEK SINGH: A number of small rallies by labourers and citizens continued on the second consecutive day on Thursday and culminated at the hunger strike camp set up by different political parties outside Fesco offices on Gojra Road in protest against more than 20-hour outages.
PTI leader Ghiasuddin Janbaz also continued with his `hunger strike till death’ at the same camp on second day.
Those who attended the camp on second day included PML-N district president Amjad Ali Javed, JUI leader Maulana Mujeebur Rehman, Tuhaffaz Khatm-e-Nabuwwat chief Maulana Abdullah Ludhianvi, Labour Qaumi Movement leader Shabbir Ahmad and its women wing president Madam Sajida, Ahle Sunnat Waljamat district amir Maulana Muhammad Awais, Tanzeem Ulema Ahle Sunnah chief Maulana Munem Siddiqui, Jamaat Islami leaders Dr Zahid Sattar and Dr Muhammad Imran.
The protesters repeatedly blocked traffic on Toba-Gojra Road; however on the intervention of political leaders they restored vehicular flow.
Addressing the gathering, Ghiasuddin Janbaz demanded of the Fesco chief executive to announce loadshedding schedule in Toba on a par with the duration in Gojra and Faisalabad.
Acting DCO Haroon Rashid and DSP Raja Ghulam Abbas visited the camp and tried to persuade them to end the protest. Meanwhile, a six-member action committee was formed in the camp by the participants for movement against loadshedding.
Committee members included Maulana Abdullah Ludhianvi, Amjad Ali Javed, Maulana Mujeebur Rehman, Dr Waheed Akbar, Shaukat Chohan and Dr Zahid Sattar.
The committee held its meeting and announced a complete wheel-jam strike on Saturday (tomorrow).
BAHAWALPUR: Prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding drew the ire of residents of Islami Colony and three-marla residential schemes on Thursday and they blocked Yazman Road.
The enraged power consumers raised slogans against the federal government and Wapda. They burnt tyres and blocked the main airport highway, throwing the vehicular traffic out of gear.
On receipt of information, police officials rushed to the scene and pacified the demonstrators, who restored traffic.