The traders and shopkeepers of the Urdu Bazaar and Timber Market held a protest against the murder of a trader and the extortion mafia on Monday.
The protesters shut their business and staged a demonstration on MA Jinnah road against the growing incidents of extortion. They blocked the road for an hour, while setting tyres on fire and shouting slogans against extortion incidents. They also criticised the police for its failure to provide protection. Shahzaib Farooqui, a trader at the Urdu Bazaar, was gunned down on Saturday allegedly by the extortion mafia after he refused to pay Rs500,000. The protesters said that the victim’s family and other shopkeepers are still receiving threats from the mafia.
The crowd was dispersed by law enforcers after they were assured of full cooperation and protection by the officials.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2012.
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