City shuts shop as JI strike turns up heat on govt

Markets go dark over petroleum levy, but clashes, arson, arrests mar protest

KARACHI:

The metropolis chose silence over commerce on Thursday, but the quiet was not without its cracks. As Jamaat-e-Islami's nationwide strike against the petroleum levy shuttered markets from Jodia Bazaar to Bolton Market, the protest's edges frayed into arson at Korangi Crossing, bloodshed at Orangi Town, and a warning from the party's leadership that the sit-in outside Governor House was only the beginning.

The strike call, aimed at forcing the government to abolish the petroleum levy and renegotiate agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), brought the city's commercial engine to a sputtering halt.

All mobile and electronics markets in Saddar, alongside Chemical, Timber and Steel Markets, remained firmly shut. Gulbahar Sanitary Market, Pak Colony, Qayyumabad and the Marble Market pulled their shutters down completely, while trading centres along MA Jinnah Road, Light House Market and Zaibunnisa Street observed the closure. Even the usually bustling Bohri Bazaar and Empress Market surroundings fell into an uneasy hush.

Karachi Electronics Dealers Association President Rizwan Irfan claimed that every trading centre in the city had joined the strike. He said, traffic thinned out, and between 10 and 15% of petrol pumps refused to open their nozzles in the early hours, though most resumed operations later in the day.

But where the markets fell silent, the streets grew loud.

At Korangi Crossing, within the jurisdiction of Zaman Town police station, unidentified men set an old motorcycle, chairs and tyres ablaze, blocking the road and forcing nearby shops to close.

The flames sent traffic into a gridlock until heavy police contingents doused the fire and restored order, taking six people into custody for arson, violence and picketing. Police officials said the situation was now under control, with additional personnel deployed.

A more violent confrontation erupted at Qaddafi Chowk in Orangi Town No 1, where alleged attempts to force shop closures descended into a brawl between JI workers and shopkeepers. Four traders - Arsalan, Waseem Ansari, Raheel and an unidentified fourth man - were injured after being struck with sticks. Two JI workers, including Abdul Ghaffar, also sustained injuries. The wounded were rushed first to Qatar Hospital and later to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Police detained several people from the scene.

Similar alleged attempts to forcibly shut businesses were reported in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Perfume Chowk, University Road, Safoora Chowrangi, Surjani, Water Pump, Azizabad and Hussainabad. Kharaadar police also picked up several JI workers from near Bolton Market.

JI was quick to disown the violence. "These are miscreant elements," said JI's Karachi Ameer Monem Zafar Khan at a press conference, urging the police to refrain from what he called "cheap tactics." He insisted the strike had been overwhelmingly peaceful and successful, with the people voluntarily expressing their anger over rising fuel prices.

"From Karachi to Khyber, and Gwadar to Chitral, the people have rejected the petroleum levy," he declared. "The rulers will have to end their royal extravagance. Two hundred and fifty million people have one demand: abolish the petroleum levy."

Monem claimed the ruling class had extracted Rs1.7 trillion from the nation through IPPs. He warned that if the petroleum levy was not scrapped, the strike's scope would widen. And if arrested workers were not released, the party would not hesitate to lay siege to police stations - and even the Sindh Assembly office. The protest also found an unlikely ally in black coats. The Sindh High Court Bar Association and Karachi Bar Association joined the fray, with lawyers marching on foot from the SHC parking to the JI sit-in outside Governor House.

Led by SHC Bar President Haseeb Jamali, Karachi Bar President Aamir Nawaz Waraich, Advocate Saifuddin and Advocate Rahman Korai, the lawyers were showered with flower petals upon arrival. They expressed complete solidarity with JI and demanded the immediate abolition of the petroleum levy and a reduction in fuel prices. A government committee has been formed for negotiations, Monem said, but made clear the dharna would continue until the demands were met. "Negotiations will happen," he said. "But so will the protest."