Traders, businessmen threaten strike

Traders and businessmen want government to take immediate measures to ensure safety from extortionists.

KARACHI: Traders and businessmen on Thursday threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the government did not take immediate measures to ensure their safety from extortionists and compensate Shershah attack victims.

During a meeting at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), they discussed growing incidents of extortion and target killings of businessmen in Karachi.

Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Karachi Fayyaz Leghari and Sindh Home Secretary Arif Khan were present in the meeting.

“Had the police booked the criminals, the Shershah incident would not have happened and we could saved 13 lives,” a trader said.

Assuring the enraged traders, Soomro said the government was taking all possible measures to ensure the safety of businessmen. “The government will announce compensation money for the victims of Shershah incident and will immediately build a checkpost at the market to ensure the safety of traders,” he said.

Traders also lashed out at the Peoples Amn Committee, accusing it of being a major player in money extortion and target killings of business people. To that, Soomro said: “PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) as a party has nothing to do with the Peoples Amn Committee.”

Traders complained that extortionists have been roaming free, target them and give threats of removing anyone who dares to report to police. Even then they have approached police with evidence but nothing concrete has been done.

CCPO Karachi Fayyaz Leghari said a comprehensive security plan is in the offing which will ensure security at main markets. The Karachi police intends to set up checkposts at Shershah where 250 policemen will be deployed with latest equipment, he said.

Sindh Home Secretary Arif Khan said police and KCCI representatives will soon sit together to finalise a security plan for trading centres.

“Businessmen want a concrete commitment from the government that it will provide security,” renowned businessman Siraj Kassam Teli said. “If the government has not the capacity to control target killings, we have options including a shutter-down strike for weeks.”

Shershah shopkeepers were killed when they refused to pay extortion money. “The culprits are still free, though their names have been identified in the FIR. Neither any compensation has been announced, nor did the officials visit the injured in hospitals,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2010.