Committee to monitor extortion activities to be formed

The Sindh government will be forming a committee to deal with the ongoing menace of extortion in Karachi.

The decision was taken on Wednesday and will comprise members from the MQM, PPP and the ANP. A shutter down strike was observed in most parts of Karachi on Tuesday as traders protested the growing extortion culture and the apathy of state authority to provide sufficient protection.

According to sources, the committee has been formed on direct instructions of President Asif Ali Zardari. Its purpose will be to monitor extortion activities and deal with other problems being faced by the traders and businessmen in Karachi. The committee will also prepare a report on extortion activities and suggest possible solutions to the problem.

Traders in the port city of Karachi have been deeply troubled by the extortion mafia. Despite lodging multiple protests, and staging demonstrations against the criminal activity, traders had issued a city-wide strike call for Tuesday, April 5. However, one traders association, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry withdrew its call after receiving assurances from the government.

This did not deter traders and shop keepers from going ahead with the strike who had received political support from two key political groups in the city, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP). As a result shops and businesses remained closed in most parts of the city on Tuesday.