The city's wholesale and major markets remained closed due to shutterdown strike by traders in against additional surcharges in electricity bills and inflation.
However, offices, small shops remained open in residential neighbourhoods. During strike, public transport continued to run as normal, while filling stations and medical stores also remained open.
On the call of Tajir Action Committee, all central and major markets of Old City, including Jodia Bazaar, Cloth Market, Pan Mandi, MA Jinnah Road and Light House Market, remained closed.
Traders took out rallies and also raised slogans against K-Electric and inflation in the Lighthouse Market. Due to the shutter down strike, the shopping areas of Bohri Bazaar, Regal Electronics Market, Cooperative Market, Bolton Market, Saddar Empress Market, Gul Plaza, Medicine Market, Jama Cloth Market, Arambagh Furniture Market, Liaquatabad, Hydari, Tariq Road, Bahadurabad, Karimabad, Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulbahar Sanitary Market, New MA Jinnah Road and Khalid Bin Waleed Road Car Showroom Markets, Water Pump Markets remained closed.
Kharadar, Tower, Eid Gah, Urdu Bazar, Motan Das Market, Burns Road, Akbar Road Motorcycle and Spare Parts Market were also closed on the strike call.
All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Chairman Atiq Mir said that the successful shutter down strike on Friday is a sign of the unity of traders of Karachi.
He said that if government still does not reduce electricity bills, strikes and protests may accelerate. Business community of Pakistan are also fighting for rights of people. He also appealed to public to join the struggle of traders. He said that inflation is unbearable, the trade has been ruined, purchasing power of the people has vanished, worst inflation, unemployment, exorbitant electricity bills, petrol and gas prices forced shopkeepers to close their business on Friday.
He said that artificial trend of increasing the prices of food items must also be stopped. The continuation of disastrous inflation of PDM-led government is also continuing in the caretaker government.
Anjuman-e-Tajiran Karachi President Javed Shams said that business community showed solidarity to make Friday's shutterdown strike a success. The business community are demanding that the excess electricity bills must be withdrawn and stopped over-billing.
He urged caretaker government to order FBR to remove taxes levied on the electricity bills. He said that due to the increase in the price of petrol, the people and traders are in a state of agitation. Shams urged the government to take immediate steps to get the country out of the worst economic crisis and inflation.
He said that the business community should not be forced to take such decisions that they are forced to go on long strikes and protests, reduce the electricity prices and abolish all taxes on the bills. High inflation attracted towards mass suicides.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2023.
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