City traders rally to JI strike call

Major markets back strike, but wholesale food and medicine trade stays open

KARACHI:

A growing alliance of Karachi's traders has thrown its weight behind a nationwide strike called by Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday against rising taxes, inflation and additional charges on petrol and diesel, with major commercial markets across the city set to shut down.

The All City Traders Alliance and All Iron and Steel Merchants Association on Wednesday announced full support for the September 3 strike, joining 43 markets, electronics dealers and traders in Clifton and DHA that have already decided to close their businesses. "All markets affiliated with the All City Traders Alliance will remain completely closed," said its president Hammad Poonawala, adding that traders would participate in the protest against inflation and additional taxes.

The All Iron and Steel Merchants Association also said all markets affiliated with it would remain closed on Thursday.

The announcements add to the growing momentum behind the shutdown in the city. Alliance of Market Associations president Faheem Noori had earlier said heads of 43 markets agreed to support the strike, with most markets, malls and electronics and mobile markets from Clifton to Saddar expected to remain closed.

Panorama Centre, Atrium Mall, Madina City Mall, Victoria Market, Zainab Market, International Market, Clifton Market, Gulf and Cliff the Plaza are among the markets expected to shut. All markets in Clifton and DHA will also remain closed, according to All Clifton Traders Alliance chairman Rashid Khan.

The city's electronics markets will likewise participate. Karachi Electronics Dealers Association president Rizwan Irfan said all electronics markets would remain closed against the petroleum levy, inflation and independent power producers, urging traders to stage a peaceful protest.

However, the shutdown will not extend to all sections of Karachi's commercial network.

Wholesale Grocers Association president Abdul Rauf Ibrahim said the city's wholesale commodity markets, including Jodia Bazaar, would remain open and will continue trading as usual.

The Wholesale Karachi Pharma Organisation has also opted to keep its markets open. Its general secretary Muhammad Aslam Polani said all medicine markets in Karachi would operate normally on September 3.

Trader bodies backing the strike have demanded immediate government action to control inflation, withdraw additional taxes and ease the growing economic burden on consumers.

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Wednesday warned the government of an expanded protest campaign if it failed to scrap what he called the "petrol levy bhatta tax", renegotiate anti-people agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) and curb inflation, saying options including a long march on Islamabad and sit-ins in Islamabad and Rawalpindi remained on the table.

Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, Hafiz Naeem said Thursday's nationwide shutter-down strike against the petrol levy, IPPs and inflation would be "historic", after which the party would announce its next course of action.

He said sit-ins were continuing for an 18th day in all four provincial capitals, while the Peshawar protest had expanded into five sit-ins and the Hyderabad sit-in had entered its 10th day. He claimed public participation was growing.

The JI chief said the business community in Karachi and across the country had extended "unprecedented and unanimous" support to the September 3 strike.

He called on political workers from all parties, whether in govt or opposition, to join the campaign, describing it as a struggle reflecting the concerns of Pakistan's 250 million people.