Country's traders keep shutters down

Community responds to JI’s strike call against inflation, excessive power bills

KARACHI/LAHORE/ PESHAWAR:

Thousands of traders on Saturday observed a shutter-down strike at many places in the country against soaring inflation, exorbitant electricity bills, and the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products.

The strike call came from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and different traders associations and was supported by lawyers, with the legal community boycotting courtrooms.

Commercial hubs and business centres remained closed in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and other cities across the country, where abandoned bazaars were posted with placards decrying "the unreasonable increase in electricity bills and taxes".

Public transport and other forms of commute were also less than normal on major thoroughfares.

"Everyone is participating because the situation has become unbearable now," Lahore's Township Traders Union President Ajmal Hashmi told AFP. "Some relief must be given so people can put food on the table."

On Friday in Karachi, the Tajir Action Committee (TAC) gave the interim government 72 hours to reduce excessive electricity bills and withdraw recently imposed petroleum levies.

While commending the JI for raising its voice against increasing costs of living, TAC Convener Muhammad Rizwan said that there was no compulsion on traders in the metropolis to observe the strike but the skyrocketing inflation was worrisome

Similarly, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that the government was failing to read the writing on the wall.
By increasing petrol prices once again, the interim set-up is inviting a fresh wave of inflation, he said, adding that it was most worrisome that the petroleum levy had been raised to Rs60 per litre.

"Out-of-box thinking is required to emerge out of the economic crisis," he continued.
The strike is continuation of the unrest being observed in the country in recent days with people burning their electricity bills in protest.

In July, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) notified that the revised national average tariff for the fiscal year 2023-24 had been determined at Rs29.78 per unit kWh. This was Rs4.96 per unit higher than the previously determined national average tariff of Rs24.82.

Later in August, the previous government notified an increase of Rs3.50 per unit in the national base electricity tariff.

"The bills we have received this month exceed our earnings," Babar Mahmood, the president of Electronics Market Traders Union in Lahore, said.

"There is a growing disconnect between the general public and those in positions of power."

In a statement, caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar conceded that citizens were facing challenges and also admitted that staging a protest was a fundamental democratic right.

However, he urged those participating in the protest to not cause inconvenience to other citizens.

He maintained that both the federal and provincial governments were working together to address the people’s woes.

The JI shared pictures on its account on X (formerly Twitter) of traders in various cities of Punjab observing a shutter-down strike and its activists in Nankana Sahib rallying on the streets to protest against the inflated power bills.

Similarly, JI Bahawalpur chief Syed Zeeshan Akhtar led a rally in the city.
Besides Peshawar, traders in other areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa kept their shops closed.

They include Shangla, Bisham, Alpuri, Puran, Swat, Mingora, Khwazakhela, Barikot, Dir Timergara, Warai and Malakand.

The strike was partially observed in other parts of K-P, including Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur.

The JI shared pictures of closed shops in Upper Dir and Abbottabad districts.

On Friday, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on his part denied that the sudden increase in electricity bills was a concern and termed it a "non-issue".

He stressed the need for the consumers to pay their bills.

Decades of mismanagement and instability have hobbled the country’s economy, and this summer Pakistan was forced into a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avert default.

However, the global lender demanded that popular subsidies cushioning living costs be slashed. Petrol and electricity prices skyrocketed after the government caved in to its demands. (With input from AFP)