A labourer sits beside closed shops in Karachi during a strike on Wednesday. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS
The decision was reached after consulting the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders, Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Atiq Mir, said.
A strike - called by MQM against a bomb attack on party’s camp office - brought Karachi to a standstill on Wednesday as businesses remained closed.
On April 23, a crude bomb targeting MQM roadside office killed at least three people and injured 30 others. The attack, which took place in the Buffer Zone area, prompted the closure of all roadside camp offices of the party.
The private schools associations of Karachi unanimously announced to keep all schools shut today, owing to the uncertain security situation in the city.
Public transport remained off the roads, as the party observed a day of mourning.
Meanwhile, the Board of Secondary Education Karachi postponed all Secondary School Certificate exams scheduled for the day.
Party chief Altaf Hussain had claimed that about 25 MQM activists, including an election candidate, have been killed over the past few days.
COMMENTS (46)
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@RAFIQ: Im not gonna go into details but i know for a fact that no one can deny that what they did during their term in the local govt for karachi , no one has ever done that amount of work in such a limited time span.
I think people of Karachi dont want to be killed and become a part of statistics . No body can prove these people dont come out of their house on the call of strike by so called MQM Let us have a poll and get results who wants to stay home because of MQM , only lazy people will vote positive to stay home people who will still get paid on not turning for work will vote positive and not because love of MQM . Yes we pay respect to the dead by praying for his or her sole . Why we need to kill those who are alive by hunger by not letting a daily wage earner to work and earn money to feed his family . Please live and Let us live.
@Hassnain: Sorry Sir, only recently I came to know that half of "Punjab" is actually Seraiki.
Punjab show itself as 62% of Pakistan and walk away with national resources matchin with the population it shows.
But, in reality, Central Punjab usurps the 50% of rights to resources of Seraikis. That is why Shahbaz Sharif was able to build Metro bus at cost of 30 billions amount which wase diverted from seraiki areas.
Just just ask a bengali who he thinks is responsible for atroicities committed on them, you will get the answer, similarly ask any baloch. These answers will surely make you sad.
@rafiq: For your education and information, Election Commission Of Pakistan has removed almost 40 million bogus votes from voters list across Pkaistan. These bogus entries were purely meant for rigging.
And further, go through election history of Pkistan so that you may know how many elections in Pakistan have been unanimously declared as " Fair, free , and Trasnparent."
11 May is not far, you will soon start hearing allegations of rigging from across Pakistan by all the parties against each other
@rafiq:You are horribly informed about Pakistan history or you may be impressed by Dr.Zulfiqar Mirza.
Pakistan was result of sole efforts of Muslims living in Indian areas which were not to become part of Pakistan and those living in Bangladesh. People living in present Pakistan areas were lucky enough that they slept in the night of 14th August as Indians and in the morning they woke up as Pakistanis.
Second, in 1947 human history's greatest migration took place and millions of women jumped into wells to save thier sanctity, millions were massacred. Despite this one of the greatest tragedies, mojhajirs came here with thier education, skills, experience and selfless devotion and laid the founation of almost every sector of the society.
Today, what time has come that people like you say that mohajirs came here for better opportunities. Its thoroughly shameful. People like you, and which are in great numbers, are responsible for craetion of Bangladesh
@mystreeman: "The issue is PTI is another attempt from north especially Punjab to assert its hegemony ( that was democratically acquired through various army rules) over South Pakistan that it lostin democracy." Well punjabis are far more liberal to vote for a pathan for the better Pakistan even when PML N has still scored more marks on governance than the rest of the country. But I guess even all the education can't bring rationality. Even if Punjab goes either way (PTI or N) it would still be getting better than what other provinces have elected for themselves.*Punjab is the only province which can still vote for a pathan, a sindh based party. No other province has the ability to do that**
@Ash: thank you for speaking for the right cause and party
@Adnan: oh really. and then bring those who have never seen arabian sea.
@RAFIQ: No sir not at all. The country you are mentioning Karachi and for that matter whole of Pakistan was part of that country. All was India..there was no Pakistan before 14 August 1947.
@H: muhajirs: excuse me, kindly do not utter this word as Karachhiites are Sindhis , they are born here and bury their deads here..they do not take them back to "aabai shehar/gaun" in north for burial. The issue is PTI is another attempt from north especially Punjab to assert its hegemony ( that was democratically acquired through various army rules) over South Pakistan that it lostin democracy.
@Tanzeel: Snap out of it!! You cant carry on stopping a city under the barrell of a gun...Do you really feel that Karachiites do not come out on your call out of love for MQM...
I wish this labor guy in first picture would have managed a meal for his family!
@Hassnain: wake up bruv this has been happening for the last twenty seven years do we need a rocket science to understand it?????
@Shah: most of the election in khi were rigd and u know that......
@H please refer to my explanation above of settlers . It really hurts to observe that the settlers who we fed and supported are after our jugular veins !!!! What do you call it in Urdu ? 'Mohsinkush" I guess .
@Baffled: mate for the last twenty SEVEN years this is going on in this city WHY???????
@Baffled: I STILL DONT UNDERSTAND according to ur argument u left india because u dont have the roti there? or is it u come here in 60s and 70s for better life yes its true most of the urdu speaking came here in 60s and 70s very few of u came in 1947 check ur records ask ur parents when did they came to pakistan and if its proven that most of u came in here in 1947 like all the punjabees then i will except ur aurgiment and one more thing khi is nothing without the production of agri based industry of punjab check the statistics 68% of the tax revenue is provided by khi because of the port, and taxes are just 8% of all budget dont be fool like mustafa kamal who recently said khi fed all country thats a load of ............
@mystreeman: "settles from north?" what does that say about the 'muhajirs' then? settlers from east, maybe? @Tanzeel: Dude terribly sorry for your loss but you have to come out of this naivety that ppl 'choose' to close their businesses on their own.
@Rafiq
let me make u understand
We are the developers of this city from scratch . The settlers come to "settle ' on the developed city of Karachi , as the Sharifs , Wali Khans and Mengals fail to provide them with the basic requirement ...ROTI .
Have some gratitude .The settlers donot bring the Capital here ,mind you . We provide them the means to survive .
@Hasnain
No, MQM is not run by angels and they are human beings just like you and me only if some people consider them as humans. If there is any blast in Pakistan or anyone gets killed, MQM leader Altaf Hussain is always the first one to offer condolence no matter where in Pakistan that tragedy happens. If MQM workers brutally get killed then why I cannot see any leader, any person condemning that act? is this not sheer racism against Urdu speaking people? this is what push us more towards MQM...We are educated people and can very well understand who is our hamdard and who is just showing "hamdardi" for the sake of it. When MQM was in power 2002-2008, Karachi progressed leaps and bounds. There were no incidents of target killings and no political rivalry. Why? this was because of competent Interior ministry which was with MQM. During PPP tenure MQM was not given any authority and this corrupt government of PPP pushed Karachi to wall just because of their own animosity. Give MQM complete authority and power and see what results they can bring. I know you will say about Governor but governor himself is helpless. Rangers is under control of Federal Govt which is again PPP and they don't want Karachi people to live in peace. On a side note, I don't think Rangers can ever bring peace to this city, they are there just to get their bellies filled.
It is really a pity to see the comments especially thoseof who are dying with concern of the daily earners .Yes they do suffer .But what about the dead ? Every single day .Karachi Quetta RY Khan Quetta .and not a single condemnation comment on those news by the PTI trolls .
People from North should stop spreading hate and especially the PTI trolls . They never learnt from history .Remember Bangladesh .You just did the same to them .
If these brutality persists in Karachi do the PTIers think they will be safe in Karachi ???.
@mystreeman: are u not the settlers from other country ????????
@Mustafa alvi: yeah like they did for last twenty seven yerars
@Tanzeel: The business community who can do anything to save few rupees and some of them even open their shops on weekend and public holidays will close their shops voluntarily... I can only smile at your simplicity!!!...
@Tanzeel: you guessed right. thats The plan.
People of Karachi never forced to close down their shops, business, they on their own
@Ash: And I suppose MQM is ran by angles? Despite the fact that everybody condemns such acts of terror but please do let me know that where is has the government been as Karachi continues to burn. It all started with the series of politically motivated killings, no party in karachi ever took any serious step to stop this trend. Its ironic that everybody was drinking from same mug and was trying to poison it for others. Let me ask a question, what are the rangers and police of karachi doing? Okey we can argue that police has been consistently currpted by political appointments (for which all stakeholders of karachi are responsible) but what about the rangers which is under the control of governor whose relationship with MQM needs no introduction. What has he been doing while MQM is being attacked? selling peanuts? And even the caretaker setup was brought up with the mutual "understanding" of PPP,ANP and MQM. Now it is clear that the caretaker government of Sindh is as incompitent as the elected government. So instead of crying like childern, do select able people of 11th May. But I guess Karachi is so intoxicated by the poison of ethnicity and language that such violence has become its fate.
Karachiites will never support PTI , only the settlers from north give support to PTI in Karachi.
They work tirelessly to keep the city safe from extremists ! And so when one of there's dies the least we can do is to give are respects!
I don't see how you expect the voters to turn out on day of elections under such situations. Or is PTI/JI planning to clean sweep with a condition that Karachi voter turn out is less than 20%?
People of Karachi are dying in the hands of extremist elements but there is not a single post condemning it and showing solidarity with them. Today these forces are coming after MQM because they are the only ones resisting extremism but tomorrow it will be you and your family..mark my words! People of Karachi know very well who stands shoulder to shoulder with them in their sorrows and they know who to vote! Opportunists like PTI and JI will not even get a single provincial seat from Karachi.
@Tanzeel: this is the really i'm very sorry for the lost of lives but this is not the way to do it every time it's the same MQM party worker dies they closed down Karachi not think for others people who work on daily basis who get paid on day basis & how they forget that billions of ruppees are lost when karachi is closed.
@Naeem: Karachites know quiet well, who to support and who not to. Proved in all elections since 80's and onwards and this support will continue.
@Tanzeel: then dont force your mourning on 20 million people
@Tanzeel:
Mourn on your own time, won't you?
Wake up Karachi and on 11th May through the elements in Arabia Sea that have destroyed and besieged our city.
they are keeping karachi hostage
@omair shahid - do you even know which party worker died? stop assuming things in your hibernation shelter.
mqm own karachi but no one else we can condem only but don't feel pain of decessed people
Don't call it strike, its a day of mourning.
@OMG: they dont care every time there party worker dies they close karachi knowing that thousand of family will suffer & billions of rupees are lost because in karachi but no they dont care. it's time to wake up
Dear Karachites, Please wake up May 11 and vote these ppl out for a change!
And they want us to vote them again .. NEVER!!
It is the responsibility of the Government to protect the lives and properties of the people of Pakistan.
if the Government cannot protect the lives and properties of its citizens, it has no right to rule the country.
Yet again, in such a horrible environment, Government is conducting elections on May 11, 2013.
If political parties offices will be attacked during the days of election campaign, what will be happening on May 11, 2013?
May Al-Might Allah save all of us from all the terrorists who are bent upon creating law and order situation in the country time and again.
Dear MQM, Hundreds of families will pass their day without a meal..
Tell us something new about them, we are the hostages of this party since long time, need change desperately or otherwise this bang bang wont stop. wake up before its to late.