LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Monday banned unannounced loadshedding in Punjab and directed Pepco/Wapda authorities to give a schedule of loadshedding keeping minimum duration of power cuts in a day. Justice Umar Ata Bandial directed all respondents including Pepco authorities to submit the copy of power supply schedule in the office of Lahore High Court. The court also warned the Pepco authorities there should be no deviation of the schedule once given to the public so that masses may plan their activities as per the schedule. The court passed the order on the petition of Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi who challenged Pepcos unscheduled loadshedding through his counsel Barrister Farooq Hassan. The court will resume proceedings against loadshedding on May 18. Earlier, the petitioner counsel pleaded that provision of basic facilities including electricity supply to the masses was responsibility of the state which the present govt was failing to fulfill. The counsel said the law and order situation was deteriorating in the country as people were taking to the streets against 18 hours loadshedding. The petitioner counsel submitted Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had been continuously lying and misleading the people of Pakistan by claiming to abolish loadshedding from the country completely. The counsel submitted the minister had miserably failed in fulfilling his promises, adding instead of reduction in the loadshedding duration the same had become a big crisis. The petitioner counsel requested the court to start proceedings against the minister who multiplied the misery of people and destroyed business activities in the country with massive loadshedding. On this the judge observed that all legal issues relating to loadshedding crisis could be debated on May 18, the next date of hearing. The petitioner counsel said the minister had been categorically affirming that the power crisis would end by Dec 31, 2009, but miserably failed in honouring its promise. He said the minister proved himself as a dishonest man so suffered disqualification for becoming member assembly under the constitution. The petitioner prayed to the court the respondent minister be held guilty of contempt of court on the basis of information submitted to the court and he should be asked to vacate his present portfolio since he was in the same office when this matter was last challenged in the court.