Power outages trigger public-police clash

LAHORE - Severe clashes erupted between the police and protesters here in Shahdra area on Tuesday as angry mob took to the streets to protest against massive power outages and gas loadshedding.
Over a dozen protesters and policemen were wounded during the clashes as the protesters played hike and seek with the desperate cops for several hours.
Heavy police contingents wielded to batons to disperse a huge number of protesters, as they staged a strong demonstration at GT Road, Shahdra.
Eyewitnesses said that over a dozens protesters sustained serious injuries after the police resorted to baton-charge. The protesters also pelted the police with stones.
The protesters disrupted the traffic flow at GT Road for not less than five hours by setting the tyres on fire. They also chanted anti-government slogans and demanded the Water and Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to resign immediately as what they said the 'so-called people friendly government has badly failed to overcome the energy crisis. It is important to mention here that the above mentioned Minister spent whole last year promising to end load shedding by the end of December 2009. But the Pakistan Electric Company has again resorted to 12 hours unscheduled loadshedding to meet 4500-MW power deficit.
All kind of traffic remained suspended for more than five hours. The protesters also chanted slogans against the WAPDA authorities besides demanding immediate restoration of electricity in their locality.
According to details, hundreds of agitators gathered at Shahdra Chowk on Tuesday and blocked the road by setting the tyres on fire, causing worst traffic jam at the leading artery connecting Lahore with other parts of the Punjab.
The protesters said that the duration of unannounced loadshedding has now exceeded to 14 hours, which is unbearable and unacceptable.
The local residents were of the view that they were facing 12 to 14 hours of electricity loadshedding and four hours of gas loadshedding since one month.
The protesters were demanding the top authorities of PEPCO to reach the spot and ensure them that they would not resort to loadshedding ,otherwise, they would not end protests.