Hundreds of people mostly from traders' community staged a protest demonstration against massive loadshedding and sky-rocketing inflation, here on Saturday. The enraged protestors inflicted heavy damage to public property and vehicles while protesting the prolonged and unscheduled power outages.
The protest call was given by Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajran (MAT) Rawalpindi and a complete shutter down strike was observed in the city. Despite tall claims of high-ups of City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) and City Police Officer (CPO) Azhar Hameed Khokar that security would be provided to those traders who opened their shops, but police did nothing to protect traders.
Taking advantage of the strike, a charged mob, carrying sticks and iron rods, attacked a petrol pump at Chungi Number 4 and ransacked filling machines, offices, besides smashing windowpanes of vehicles parked there. Some protestors looted cash and other valuables from the petrol pump owned by a multinational company. Police, which reached very late, fired teargas shells to disperse the protestors.
The areas where the traders and shop owners observed shutterdown strike and demonstrated against loadshedding included Bank Road, Kashmir Road, Haider Road, Choota Bazaar, Saddar Bazaar, Mithu Khan Ahata, Gawalmandi, Ganjmandi, City Saddar Road, Iqbal Road, Cloth Market, Moti Bazaar, Jamia Masjid Road, Commercial Market, Kuri Road, Saddiqabad, Khanna Road, Haji Chowk, Chuher, Range Road, Bakramandi, Tahlimohri, Dheri Hassanabad, Chungi Number 22, Tench Bhatta, Lalkurti, Peoples Colony, Scheme Number 3, Westridge Bazaar and many other small and big markets.
However, many traders, who opposed the strike call given by MAT Rawalpindi, continued business activities at Nankari Bazar, Dalgaran Bazaar, Furniture Dealers Association, Banni Market, Mobile Phones Association and Goods Transport Association, Chauhdry Imran Market at Raja Bazaar. All the markets along with Benazir Bhutto Road, Sooter Mandi, Ratta Amral, Pirwadhai, Misrial Road, Dhoke Seydan, Girja Road, Adyala Road, Khuwaja Corporation, Mubarik Lane, Chungi Number 20 and Gulshanabad also remained opened.