Industrialists, workers protest three-day gas holiday

FAISALABAD, April 14: Industrialists and workers staged a sit-in outside the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited office on Sargodha Road on Thursday in protest against the three-day gas holiday. Carrying banners and placards in response to a strike call given by the All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, the protesters blocked Sargodha Road for about two hours by setting fire to tyres. The protesters raised slogans against the federal government and demanded restoration of smooth supply of gas to industrial units. Shabbir Ahmed, an office bearer of the association, told Dawn that industrialists would not obey three-day closure order of the SNGPL. He said factories would be closed for one day every week and entrepreneurs would observe the closure schedule on Friday (today). He said a number of industrialists did not close their units on Thursday. He said even after protest by industrialists and workers no government functionary turn ed up for a dialogue with them. Saeed Sheikh, regional chairman of the association, told reporters that the protest would continue till restoration of gas supply to factories. He said the association had announced a long march toward Islamabad in March against the five-day gas holiday. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif assured them that he would lead the long march if the federal government did not restore gas to factories of Punjab. He said entrepreneurs deferred their long march after assurance of the chief minister. He said Punjab was being victimised by the federal government whereas gas was being supplied to Sindh, especially Karachi. Pakistan Textile Exporters Association Chairman Wasim Latif said 12 gas holidays a month were affecting textile exports. He said gas and electricity shortage left a negative impact on the entire industrial sector, which was already passing through a critical phase. He said the power crisis affected textile exports and p roduction and forced industrial units to lay off a huge number of workers.