Deteriorating law and order situation: KCCI calls for strike on April 5

President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Saeed Shafiq has given a strike call on April 5th and urged the government to hand over the city to army to maintain law and order in the city. He also announced closure of National Crises Management Cell recently established by Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik in the chamber on the ground that its performance is zero.
Talking to Business Recorder, he reacted sharply on the incident in which extortionist mafias dragged out a shopkeeper and killed him on non-payment of demanded money. He said he made several phone calls to Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza and Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik but non of them attended the phone nor replied SMS. He said it is height of limit and now we have no option but to close down business for a day in protest and also decide future line of action.
Replying a question, he said that he has contacted Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan who has assured that he will take up the issue with President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. He also urged the government to provide conducive atmosphere for conducting businesses in the city and apprehend culprits involved in extortionist of money from shopkeepers.
Citing the incident of Tuesday in which the culprits have killed a shopkeeper on non-payment of money in front of his shop and threatened others to see the fate of those who fail to pay the amount. The culprits were carrying hand grenades, he added He said that the police and rangers have miserably failed to maintain law and order in the city and criminals are moving in the city without any fear that they might be arrested.
He alleged that high official of police and rangers are neither attending telephone calls nor making any return cell. In this condition carrying on business actives becoming impossible, he added. Shafiq said that the chamber would watch government moves on this issue and if is felt that there is no improvement in law and order than they would go on strike. Earlier a group of traders of Tyre Market, Jamia Cloth Market, Orangzaib Market, Akbar Market and other markets in the vicinity reached KCCI and protested against day to day receiving threats of killing shopkeepers from the extortionist mafias if they fail to provide demanded amount.
Vice President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda said that that the chamber in a letter to the federal and provincial government has explained the present situation and demanded of to act fast and take practical measures to curb deteriorating law and order condition in the city He said that the extortionist mafias has started visiting market to market and giving open threats to kill in case of failure to fulfil their demands.