Karachi mayor slams JI strike, says market closures cause billions in losses

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Thursday slammed Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) nationwide shutter-down strike, saying the business closures caused financial losses and disproportionately affected people who relied on daily wages.

A nationwide shutter-down strike was observed today against the government’s petroleum levy and rising inflation, with traders, petrol pump operators, private schools and lawyers joining the protest in Karachi. The strike, called by JI, led to widespread closures across the city’s major commercial centres, while business activity and traffic remained lower than usual.

Speaking at the inauguration of a road project in North Nazimabad, Wahab said Karachi had suffered years of strikes, extortion and disruption before its law and order situation improved, and warned against returning to that period.

“What hurts me is that the city in the 1980s and 1990s used to see strikes, and now people are trying to do that again,” he said.

He said political parties should not put citizens through hardship to make a political point, particularly when businesses and workers were already facing economic pressures. “If business stops for even one day in Karachi, the city suffers billions in losses,” he said.

Wahab said the consequences were even more severe for daily-wage workers, who lost their income whenever commercial activity came to a halt.

He also criticised JI Chief Naeemur Rehman for praising traders who had backed the strike, saying footage from the morning had shown the impact of the shutdown.

“When you started this strike, petrol prices were Rs314. Now they are Rs346. If you keep going like this, God knows where you will take us.”

Read: JI strike over petroleum levy shuts hundreds of markets in Karachi

Wahab said Karachi’s improved security environment had been achieved after years of struggle and sacrifice, with strikes and extortion having stopped. "Now again they are starting this."

Speaking about the development project, Wahab said a 3.15-kilometre dual carriageway in North Nazimabad had been completed despite encroachments and other infrastructure-related challenges.

He said the road connected Shahrah-e-Pakistan with Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan, adding that the project involved removing encroachments, restoring damaged footpaths and addressing water leakage issues before the road was completed.

Wahab said development work in the area had also faced political complications, with different parties holding positions at the local, provincial and national levels.

“Of course, they don’t like it when someone else comes in and does the work. They don’t do the work, but they don’t like it when someone else tries to work,” he said.

Wahab credited Pakistan Peoples Party workers and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) engineers with completing the project, saying development was the responsibility of elected representatives and should not be reduced to political slogans.

Read More: Karachi traders rally to JI strike call

“It’s the right of the people of the city, and it’s the representatives’ job to fulfil those rights,” he said.

He also pledged that money held by the KMC would be spent on public services and "will not be used to make pictures of myself, not be used to set up tents, not to close stores, not for wall chalking."

Wahab said his administration would continue to face criticism but would remain focused on delivering services to Karachi’s residents. “God willing, the critics will keep criticising,” he said. “We are the people of this city; to serve this city and to alleviate the people of the city is our responsibility, not just in slogans and chants.”

JI shutdown strike

The shutdown affected commercial activity across Karachi, with traders in several major markets closing their shops in response to the call. Petrol pumps also joined the protest, while private schools and members of the legal community supported the shutdown.

The impact was particularly visible in the city’s main commercial districts, where many shops and markets remained closed, and footfall was significantly lower than usual. Traffic was also lighter as commercial activity slowed across the city.

JI said the strike was part of a wider nationwide campaign against the petroleum levy and other economic measures. The party maintained that the government should withdraw the levy and take steps to reduce the financial pressure on households and businesses.

Although most areas remained peaceful, JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan said some disruptive elements had set tyres on fire during the protest. He nevertheless described the overall shutdown as peaceful and successful.