Updated on
Summary Traffic remained suspended as protesters blocked roads in various cities.
People staged a protest in Gujranwala, Lahore and other cites against unscheduled power load shedding in the country. They burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the government. The angry protesters also burnt LESCO office in Lahore.They said that the load shedding has destroyed their businesses as well as routine life. The protesters urged the government to take steps to end load shedding. A few incidents of minor damage to public property have also been reported.Citizens in Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Bhakkar and Chiniot are also facing problems due to load shedding. According to sources, MEPCO is facing 2,300MW shortfall and load shedding in urban rural areas has been increased to 12-16 hours.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing load shedding for more than 16 hours a day and power comes for an hour after every two to three hours of load shedding. The residents of Quetta are facing from six to eight hours a day of consistent power outage.The electricity shortfall in Sindh, including Hyderabad, has reached 800 megawatts and the citizens are bearing long hours of unscheduled and unpredictable load shedding. In various cities of Punjab 10 to 16 hours load shedding has crippled the cycle of life.The total power generation of Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) is currently recorded at 9,500 megawatts, while the demand has shot up to 15,500 megawatts, leaving a shortfall of 6,000 megawatts. Power load shedding duration has reached 18-20 hours across the country.Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari had called a meeting and discussed the worsening power crisis in the country. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani had said that the government was engaged in negotiations with a number of foreign companies interested in investment in the power sector in Pakistan. The prime minister hoped that the government would be able to bridge the gap between supply and demand.
