Energy shortages in Pakistan

Angry protests over gas shortage in Pakistan

Times of India, 

3 January, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Life across Pakistani cities remained crippled for the second day on Tuesday as most of the people angry at gas shortages blocked major highways and clashed with police, adding pressure on the beleaguered government bogged down by alleged memo scandal. 

The natural gas widely used in Pakistan for heating, cooking and fueling of vehicles has been in short supply since winter began. Most of the public transport remained off the roads on Tuesday for the second day. Industrialists took to the streets and factory workers protested against gas scarcity. The gas shortage has exposed the grim state of the country's economy and the inability of the state to provide even basic services to the people. 

Hundreds of protesters hurled stones at police on the main highway linking the capital Islamabad to the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi. Police responded by firing plastic bullets and tear gas shells. 

There were rowdy protests in other major cities of the country as well. Violent protests and skirmishes with police were seen in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar. Scores of vehicles were damaged by the protesters, while a police van belonging to Islamabad police was set on fire. 

The business community warned the government of `civil disobedience` unless it ended, what they called, `discrimination` in the supply of gas to industry in the country. 

The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association has decided to hold a series of protests against suspension of gas supply to textile mills from Wednesday if the federal government did not end discrimination in gas distribution. 

The owners of compressed natural gas stations also joined protests when, over and above the already declared load shedding schedule, they closed their stations, prolonging woes of the people and forcing them to stay off roads. 

The protests came at a time when the country's president Asif Ali Zardari is threatened by a scandal that has exacerbated tensions between the government and the military. 

The apex court has recently declared the memo case as maintainable and constituted a three-member commission to investigate the issue and submit its findings before the court within a month. 

The memo allegedly written by Hussain Haqqani, the former envoy to Washington, with the approval of president Zardari asked for American help in stopping a supposed army coup in Pakistan. Both Zardari and Haqqani have denied their involvement in the scandal.