Trade bodies to hold protest against loadshedding on March 27

Exporters, manufacturers and traders will hold strongest protest against prolonged and unscheduled electricity outage on March 27 and close their factories as a protest.
Addressing a joint news conference of all trade bodies on Saturday evening held Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), President SCCI Naeem Anwar Qureshi said that government was pushing business community towards civil disobedience and reluctant to resolve the power and gas load shedding which dire need of the industrial sector.
He said the prolonged and unannounced load shedding creating unrest among the industrial workers especially daily wagers as the duration of load shedding increased too many folds in this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry of the country. He said that it seems that under a planned conspiracy the load shedding was being carried out just to sabotage industrial sector of Sialkot which is earning US $1.25 billion for the country and providing employment opportunities to thousand industrial workers. Apart from this he said the business community was paying handsome amount in the shape of direct and indirect taxes.
If the situation was not improved the SCCI along with other chambers would stage sit-in at Islamabad against unscheduled load shedding he mentioned. Naeem said that exporter community is facing multiple problems due to the prolonged unscheduled load shedding because they are unable accomplish their foreign orders in time adding that foreign buyers were reluctant to extend new orders due to the load shedding.
Speaking on the occasion Chairman Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) Jehangeer Bajwa expressed deep concern over the increase in load shedding duration and termed it stabbing the industrial sector of export-oriented city and nucleus of cottage industry. In foreign countries governments always facilitate the industry but our government was busy in irritating the exporters and manufacturers he said.
Other representatives of trade bodies alleged that government was intestinally trying to creating disturbance just to disrupt the peaceful environment of Sialkot and to weaken the cordial relationship of employees and employers. The representatives of trade bodies urged upon the government to take immediate steps to stop unscheduled power load shedding and provide 150 megawatt electricity to Sialkot for ensuring the smooth functioning of industrial sector.
Some exporters were of the opinion that due to prolonged load shedding Sialkot facing serious economic setback which is unjust but unfortunately concerned authorities are unwilling to address the issue due to unknown reasons. The prolonged load shedding generating crime and unemployment fast and hitting production activities adversely and exporter community facing serious hardships in fulfilling the foreign orders on scheduled time while vendors were of the opinion that more than 10 to 15 hours load shedding hitting vendor industry and is on the verge of collapse and industrial workers working on daily wages suffering adversely as government had snatched their bread and butter they said.