Industrialists, workers protest against suspension of gas supply

Industrialists along with thousands of industrial workers on Tuesday blocked the GT Road to protest against suspension of gas supply to the industrial units and warned the government to expand protests in all cities of the province if the decision regarding suspension of gas supply is not withdrawn immediately.
The protesters, carrying banners inscribed with slogans against the government and the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) authorities and demanded of the government to reverse its anti-industry and anti-people policies otherwise they would come on streets to protest.
The Lahore, Sheikhupura Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, Ferozepur Road Industrial Association, Hosiery Manufacturers Association, Lahore Township Industrial Association, Shahdra Industrial Association and Kahna Kacha Industrial Association took part in the protest.
The protest was jointly led by the LCCI Senior Vice President, Sheikh Mohammad Arshad, LCCI Vice President, Sohail Azhar, LCCI former Presidents, Mian Anjum Nisar, Shahid Hassan Sheikh, Mohammad Ali Mian, Central Chairman All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, Maqsood Butt, PIAF Vice Chairman Khawaja Shahzeb Akram, Shahzad Azam Khan of Hosiery Manufacturers Association, Khawaja Shahzad Nasir, Haroon Shafiq Chaudhry, Nasrullah Mughal, Syed Mehmood Ghaznavi and Fahimur Rehman.
Addressing the protesters, the industry leaders said the gas suspension plan was a well thought-out conspiracy against the government and the people sitting at the helm of affairs must take notice of it. They said that the entire industry and the industrial workers had been pushed to the wall. "It is not the industry alone that is suffering badly but it is the entire economy that is facing unprecedented challenges," they added.
The office bearers said the government is committing economic massacre of the industrial workers by turning the province into a trading place instead of a manufacturing hub. Owing to wrong policies of the government, the sufferings of the business community were multiplying with every passing day and they were unable to cope with day-to-day challenges, they added.
The industry leaders said the industrialists would not be able to pay their dues if corrective measures were not taken immediately. "The government is creating the future defaulters as nobody would be able to pay his banking dues when his industrial unit would be on the verge of closure" they maintained.
The economic crisis would further deepen in coming days as industry had failed to fulfil existing export orders what to talk of any new orders, they said adding that those who were talking about economic revival in given circumstances were actually befooling the masses as the situation had already gone out of hands and it would need special measures to control the situation. They appealed to the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani to look into the matter and save hundreds and thousands of industrial workers from being unemployed.