Strike in Lahore against outages

LAHORE: Traders in the provincial metropolis observed a strike on Saturday to protest against loadshedding on the call of the All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran.

The response to the strike call was so overwhelming that not only markets in the walled city, including Shahalmi, Kashmiri Bazaar, Sooha Bazaar, Akbari Mandi and Cloth Market, but shopping centres in areas like Circular Road, Brandreth Road, Landa Bazar, Naulakha, Badami Bagh, Misri Shah, Garhi Shahu, Allama Iqbal Road, Dharampura, Sadar, McLeod Road, Gowalmandi, Qila Gujjar Singh, Urdu Bazaar, Anarkali, Montgomery Road, Mozang, Shahrah Quaid-i-Azam, Hall Road, Beadon Road and Nisbet Road also remained closed.

Shops and commercial centres on Ferozepur Road, Multan Road and markets in Shahdara, Yateem Khana Chowk, Ichhra, Gulberg, Garden Town, Allama Iqbal Town, Sabzazar, FaisalTown, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Johar Town and Walton Road also remained closed.

The President of the Anjuman-i-Tajran, Maqsood Butt, said at a press conference: ‘Even small vendors have shown solidarity with our cause … They will no longer tolerate loadshedding.’

Mr Butt was accompanied by Secretary-General of All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajran Abdul Razzaq, Chairman of the Anjuman-i-Tajran Lahore Khalid Pervaiz, President Ashraf Bhatti, Secretray-General Tariq Feroz, Liberty Market President Zaheer Babar, President of the Walled City Board Tahir Naveed, President of the Misri Shah Loha Market Aslam Raza Butt and Shahdara Board Presi-dent Mian Khalilur Rahman.

Mr Butt said the traders’ body would organise a provincial convention on July 7 to consider observing strikes across the province.

LCCI: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the strike should serve as an eyeopener for the government.

According to a handout, chamber’s President Mian Muzaffar Ali, Senior Vice-President Tahir Javaid and Vice-President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said people were bound to protest when faced with imminent unemployment.

They said the government should urgently refix its priorities and take steps for ensuring uninterrupted power supply to businesses.

Urging the government to give an honest timeframe for dispensing with loadshedding, they said if not controlled, the situation might lead to mass unrest.

Our Gujranwala correspondent adds: With the exception of cloth markets and dal bazaar, a complete shutter-down strike was observed here in protest against loadshedding and increase in oil prices.

Ten people were injured when some cloth merchants traded punches and kicks with a group of merchants supporting the Markazi Anjuman-i-Tajiran, which had given the strike call. link.....