FAISALABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI - People throughout the country staged street protests on Thursday to vent their anger over unremitting and unannounced laodshedding of electricity with fuming protesters in Faisalabad burnt business centres and vehicles. Hundreds of powerloom workers took to the streets against the unscheduled power outages and torched a bakery, several vehicles, attacked government offices and smashed windowpanes of many shops at Satiana Road in Faisalabad. The protest rally was taken out on the call of Labour Qaumi Movement. Sizing Industry Association, Powerloom Owners Council and general public also took part in the demonstration. Many small rallies also joined the Labour Qaumi Movement rally and blocked main roads of the city for many hours. Later, the angry mob staged a sit-in outside the Fesco office and chanted slogans against the government and Wapda. Meanwhile, in a meeting with Fesco high-ups at Wapda office, the officials concerned assured the protesters that a 16-hour uninterrupted electricity supply would be ensured to industries during the next 24 hours. However, rally leaders vowed that the protests would be continued till the end of the problem. They also pledged that they would observe complete shutterdown strike on January 3 to press the government for their demands. Meanwhile, over 350 small industrial units (most of them surgical forging units) have been closed down by their owners in Sialkot, Uggoki, Sambrial, Daska and surrounding areas due to this ongoing spell of unbearable loadshedding of power. This was disclosed by the representatives of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Sialkot's all the other main trade bodies while addressing a Press conference Thursday. They said that daily 18 to 20 hours long continuous power outage was badly affecting the working of more than 6,000 small and big industrial units here and this critical situation was rendering the hundreds of daily waged labourers and industrial workers jobless. He told the newsmen that the Sialkot industries have suffered a great financial loss of Rs 5.6 billion during the last two weeks due to daily 18 to 20 hours continuous power cuts. Hundreds of terminated industrial workers staged protests in Sialkot, Daska, Mandraanwala, Uggoki, Sambrial and surrounding areas against power outages. They burnt the tyres on the main and link roads and blocked the traffic on these roads for about two hours. They were carrying banners and placards and were chanting slogans against Gepco. In Dera Ghazi Khan, traders and domestic consumers besieged the Mepco Dera Circle office against the extraordinary spell of loadshedding on Thursday and blocked New College Road as a protest. The protesters said that power supply remain suspended for over 20 hours that has hampered the life and business activities rendering hundreds of people unemployed. Large number of protesters gathered at Faisal Chowk and then moved to Wapda Complex Dera Ghazi Khan Circle, where they blocked the road and besieged the main gate after the protesters were not allowed to enter inside the office for bringing the matter in the notice of higher authorities. They chanted slogans and said that the masses are upset as power is restored for four to six hours out of the 24 hours while the situation is not so worse in the rest of the areas that shows the discrimination on part of Mepco with this circle. The security officials of Wapda locked the main gate and the traders were restrained their entry in the complex that further aggravated the situation. In Lahore, protests continued in various parts of the provincial capital against the unannounced and prolonged loadshedding on Thursday. The enraged protesters blocked the city's many roads, burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the Wapda and Sui gas departments against unscheduled power and gas shortage. The agitators including traders, shopkeepers and civil society were carrying placards and banners gathered at different places and roads and recorded their strong protest. A protest demonstration was witnessed at the Lakshami Chowk where no less than 300 workers and shopkeepers running printing press in the Royal Park led by their union office-bearers gathered and blocked the main road for traffic. They burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the government. The protestors were of the view that the wapda and sui gas departments had destroyed their business and made their routine life miserable. The angry protestors said that the due to hours long loadshedding of electricity and gas, they have no option other than to commit suicide on the city's roads. The roads remained blocked for all kinds of traffic more than two hours due to strong agitation causing immense troubles for the road users and other people. Similarly, more than 150 protestors including the traders, shopkeepers and local residents of Hall Road and surrounding localities gathered on the Macleod Road and blocked the road for traffic. They burnt tires and chanted slogans against Wapda authorities. The police deployed their however, stopped them on the Hall Road when they tried to march towards Faisal Chowk. Another protest demonstration was witnessed at the Faisal Chowk when dozens of angry citizens gathered there and lodged a strong protest. A large number of residents of Makka Centre in Gulberg area blocked the road for traffic against Wapda for hours long loadshedding. In Karachi, there was no let-up in instances of power load-shedding. Almost every locality of the metropolis came under four spells of loadshedding and each time electricity remained suspended for several hours. Muqaddam Khan from Swabi adds: About 5,000 workers of the textile mills of Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate (GAIE) staged a protest demonstration against 19-hour loadshedding. They said that if the prolonged outage was not stopped their expulsion is on the cards. Monitoring Desk adds: Ministry of Water and Power has exempted powerlooms in Faisalabad from electricity loadshedding, reported a private TV channel on Thursday. In a statement, the Ministry said the 8 power feeders through which electricity is supplied to powerlooms in Faisalabad have been declared free of power loadshedding. Agencies add: The Water and Power Ministry has clarified that it was facing a shortfall of 5300 MW due to less availability of water, oil and gas. According to a Press release issued Thursday, the Ministry clarified that PEPCO was currently generating 7000 MW at peak against a demand of 11000 MW and was facing a shortfall of around 4000 MW. The reasons for shortfall have been attributed to low water releases from the dams due to annual canal closure as well as oil and gas shortages. The current shortfall of water is 2500 MW, oil shortfall 2050 MW and gas shortfall 750 MW. President takes notice OUR STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday took notice of the shortage of petrol and CNG at gas stations, and convened a meeting today (Friday) to discuss the issue. "The President directed immediate convening of a meeting of relevant ministers and officials for a briefing on the steps being taken to alleviate hardships of the people," says a press statement issued here. The meeting, being held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, will discuss the problems faced by the commuters and general public due to energy shortage. The government is under severe criticism on the issue of non-availability of petrol and gas in different cities of the country.