Traders clash at Polo Ground!

Representatives of All Karachi Traders Alliance Association (AKTAA) and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) clashed each other during a protest gathering at Polo Ground here on Tuesday. Differences surfaced between the two groups on Monday when former president KCCI and Chairman Businessmen Group (BMG) Siraj Kassim Teli refused to go on strike on April 5th as announced earlier.
He rather threatened to go on an indefinite strike by shutting down businesses if a 10-point charter of demands was not accepted by April 12. On the other hand All Karachi Traders Alliance Association (AKTAA) announced on Monday the all markets would remain closed on Tuesday in protest against government''s failure to apprehend culprits involved in extortion, kidnappings, targeted killings and street crimes.
As per scheduled programme of KCCI, members started to gather holding white flags at Polo Ground around 3:00 pm to stage peaceful sit-in against the extortion, kidnapping, targeted killings and street crimes. A group belonging to AKTAA also reached there and started chanting slogans. Initially both the groups were chanting slogans against each other but later they started thronging water bottles on each other and fighting in which some of the businessmen and journalists received minor injuries. Mohammad Rafi a close ally of Teli sustains head injury and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
However, on the call of AKTAA small traders of the city observed a complete shutter down strike on Tuesday against the growing threats of extortion. Traders from Clifton, Defence, Tariq Road, Bahadurabad, Saddar, Jodia Bazaar, Nazimabad, University Road, Gulshan, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, M A Jinnah Road, etc kept their shops closed in protest. In some areas petrol pumps and CNG stations also remained closed. The strike was mainly called by the Karachi Traders Alliance, and was backed by the Awami National Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) have congratulated the trader unions for their successful strike against extortion and kidnapping of traders along and other criminal activities in Karachi.
Addressing a press conference, former President KCCI and Chairman Businessmen Group (BMG), Siraj Kassim Teli said he had given a 10-point agenda to the government which if not implemented by April 12th, the business community would be left with no option but to consult its members and decide future course of action and might go on an indefinite strike. Referring to strike by a group of traders, he said there were many one day strikes in the city during February and January and they ended with millions of rupees losses but with no positive results.
He said that through peaceful protest we only wanted government to move and provide protection of life and property to masses and ensure an end to street crimes. He advised the political parties that they should ask their workers not to participate in the strike whenever it is called. He said "we wanted to show the strength of the business community without support from any quarter."
He expressed the hope that the government would give serious consideration to the points raised in its charter and accept it without any conditions. He said the demands included, provision of locator of telephone calls, elimination of illegal mobile phone SIMs sold on fake CNICs, setting up of police pickets as promised.
President KCCI, Saeed Shafiq, said if government failed to provide protection from extortion mafia, kidnapping, targeted killings and street crimes, then business community would not go on one day strike but on an indefinite strike.
He said around 90 percent of all the criminals used fake mobiles SIMs and these SIMs must be blocked. The chief of All Karachi Traders Alliance Association (AKTAA), Atiq Mir, warned that if the government continued to turn a blind eye towards the traders'' plight, they would be forced to take out rallies, call indefinite strike or even go on hunger strikes in the near future.
He congratulated traders on successful strike and lashed out at KCCI leadership on its role in strike. He regretted that chamber had earlier given a strike call but it was withdrawn on the behest of government He said that the government had been unsuccessful to resolves traders'' problems. He demanded of the government to provide safety measures to traders and take firm action against extortionist mafia.