Load shedding across Pakistan increased suddenly resulting in protests staged in different cities against unannounced load shedding by masses; meanwhile people went berserk to stage mass protests crying anti-government slogans, burning tyres, blocking roads, sitting in and whatnot, adding that protestors demanded from president and prime minister to immediately stop the load shedding. A continuous eight hours power break observed in the Model Town, Johar Town, Muslim Town, Garden Town, Faisal town, Township, Fateh Garh, Revaz Garden, Sham Nagar, Sunnat Nagar, Raj Garh, Gulshan Ravi, Shad Bagh, and other areas of Lahore created panic in the citizens.
The citizens while protesting over the load shedding blocked the roads of Shad Bagh, Mao College, and other areas for traffic by burning tyres; meanwhile in the Chohang Area of Lahore the police swooped upon the protesters and indiscriminately charged them with batons and open aerial firing on the protestors which started ransacking, meanwhile the protestors also tried to put the Chohang Police Station on fire.
The protestors raised slogans against the government and WAPDA and demanded that if the government is unable to solve the issues of public then it should quit immediately; meanwhile the police arrested seven protesters. While on other hand, People in Faisalabad took to the roads on Sunday to protest against the prolonged load-shedding, ransacking banks and other public properties and police swooped upon the protesters and indiscriminately charged them with batons to disperse them.
Score of young men, bearing batons in their hands, damaged windowpanes of cars and pelted stones on a traffic police office and moving vehicles; meanwhile the protesters burnt a police mobile van and two motorcycles. The protestors blocked Masjidpora, Samandari road, Dugkot road and Satiana road and said that if the government cannot stop the unannounced load shedding then it would be responsible for the damages.
In Gujranwala angry citizens staged protest and blocked the Lahore Rawalpindi road and stopped the traffic; meanwhile a number of windowpanes were broken due to the throwing of stones by the protestors. The protestors said that unannounced load shedding is the economic murder of laborers and the factories were shutting down; meanwhile the citizens demanded that if the government is unable to provide electricity and gas then it should quit and go back to homes.
In Gujrat, the angry protestors burned a number of vehicles and set a number of offices of WAPDA into fire and burnt down all the records and blocked the Shahwala Chock by burring tyres and demanded from the president and prime minister to immediate stop the un-announced load shedding.
In Khanewal thousands of people staged protest against 12 hours un-announced load shedding and blocked the KLP road; meanwhile at least eight protestants seriously injured in the result of firing of police on the protesters.
Along with this, the people of other cities of Punjab Multan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan also staged protests against the unannounced load shedding. The people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir due to 10 hours unannounced load shedding facing severe difficulties and have warned the government to stop the unannounced load shedding.
KESC also increased the duration of load shedding in Karachi, adding one hour shedding after 20 minutes observed in different areas of Karachi.The spokesperson of KESC claimed that the basic reason of increase in load shedding is due to the decreased in supply of electricity by WAPDA, adding that KESC receiving only 300 mw from WAPDA instead of 650 mw. He said that different areas of Karachi faced load shedding due to sudden breakdown, while 12 grid stations of are closed due to which a number of feeders tripped .
Different areas of Karachi including Korangi, Malir, Gulshan Iqbal, Scheme 33, Rawal Town, Baldia town and other areas are facing increased unannounced load shedding. Different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are also facing long unannounced shedding, which has created panic in the people, adding that the 15 hours unannounced shedding in the urban areas while 20 hours unannounced shedding in the rural areas of KPK, meanwhile different areas of Balochistan are facing eight to twenty house unannounced shedding. On the other hand, the shortfall of electricity crossed 7500 mw.
According to PEPCO, the total production of electricity of in the country is 11257 mw while the demand is 17277 mw, adding that the basic reason of increase in shortfall is due to nonpayment of due to Pakistan State Oil, adding due to which the production of thermal power stations and IPP’s decreased.