A nationwide traders' strike led to widespread partial and complete market closures across Pakistan on Saturday, with Islamabad remaining unaffected as businesses continued to operate in the federal capital, Express News reported.
The strike, called in protest against expanded powers granted to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), divided traders into opposing camps. Major business centres in Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Quetta, Peshawar, and several smaller cities observed shutdowns.
In Karachi, markets such as Jodia Bazaar, the electronics and mobile markets, the fruit and vegetable wholesale markets, and other business hubs remained closed. The All Pakistan Restaurants Association and local transport unions in Karachi also backed the strike.
The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Jawed Bilwani reaffirmed support for the strike, stating that no written assurances had been received from the government. He warned that protests would escalate if demands were not met in the upcoming talks.
In Lahore, all major commercial areas, including Shah Alam Market, Akbari Mandi, Hall Road, Mall Road, Anarkali, and others, were shut down, with support from all factions of the city's traders' unions. The Lahore Chamber of Commerce also endorsed the protest.
Traders' leader Haji Maqsood Butt declared the strike a success and warned that if the FBR continued to "harass" traders or exert “unjustified authority,” further action would be taken. “We are united, and we reject forced compliance,” he said.
In Hyderabad, several markets, including Anaj Mandi, Resham Bazaar, and Gul Centre, were fully closed, while others remained partially open.
A similar picture was reported in Peshawar, Quetta, and other urban centres. The traders are demanding a rollback of newly granted FBR enforcement powers and a formal, written guarantee of policy revisions.
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