City shuts to protest outages, raise in fuel prices

LAHORE - City witnessed complete shutterdown on Saturday as the traders and shopkeepers closed down their business and took to streets to protest against the worst power outages and increase in fuel and electricity tariff.
All the major political parties in the Opposition supported the strike call and urged the masses to took to the streets to force the government to withdraw steep increase in the fuel and electricity prices.
According to reports, traders also observed strike in other big cities of the Punjab including Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Sahiwal and staged protest demonstrations against loadshedding, demanding the government to withdraw steep increase in fuel and electricity prices.
“The complete shutterdown strike is an eye-opener for the government. It is a start. Therefore, the government should immediately take concrete measures to overcome energy crisis,” said Irfan Iqbal Shaikh, Vice President Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, when contacted.
The traders and shopkeepers observed complete shutterdown on the strike call of All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran here in the provincial metropolis on Saturday. All the traders’ associations and unions supported the strike call and also observed shutterdown.
The traders also took out protest rallies against the increase in fuel prices and worst loadshedding at the Hall Road, The Mall, Kot Lakhpat and GT Road Bhagbanpura.
Anjuman-e-Tajran GT Road Bhagbanpura took out protest rallies from Crown Marriage Hall to Shalimar Chowk and demanded the government to withdraw increase in fuel prices and stop loadshedding.
The traders have also called the meeting of Anjuman-e-Tajran Pakistan on July 7 to announce complete shutterdown across Punjab.
The leaders of Anjuman-e-Tajran including Haji Maqsood Ahmed Butt, Babar Butt led the rallies. The protesters were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the government and the Wapda. The traders also displayed banners in the leading markets carrying their demands and terming the increase in petrol prices and loadshedding as unacceptable.
The protesters also blocked the roads by setting the tyres on fire in different parts of the City and chanted slogans against the PPP-led government and Wapda.
Mostly all the leading commercial markets, business centers and shopping malls situated in different parts of the City were closed down. The public transport also disappeared from the City roads, bringing the City life and business activities to a stand still.
Most of the City roads including The Mall, Jail Road, Ferozepur Road, Multan Road, Defence Road, Main Boulevard Gulberg, Iqbal Town, and Canal Road were presenting deserted-look throughout the day on Saturday.