Two-day strike in Karachi: trade suffers Rs six billion losses

Business and trade on Friday remained completely closed in the city on Sunni Tehrik''s strike call against the fresh fuel price hike. Traders told Business Recorder the businesses had suffered about Rs 6 billion losses during the last two days'' protest - strike by transporters on Thursday, which was followed by a similar display of protest by traders along with transporters on the call of Sunni Tehrik on Friday.
"The back-to-back strikes were a unanimous vote of no-confidence against the Zardari led-government by the citizens of Karachi," said Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Muhammad Atiq Mir. Almost all the metropolis remained idle because of a profound lack of public transport, closure of markets, franchises of multinational companies and private firms. Banks at many places were also reported to close early from their normal timings.
Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Old city areas, Empress Market and Electronics Market Saddar, markets in Clifton, Tariq Road and Bahadurabad, Gurumandir, Soldier Bazaar and businesses in other parts remained closed. Supply of grains, food, beverages, medicines, fruits and vegetables could not take place from main markets various other parts of the city, market sources said.
Hardly 30 percent of workers could reach their industrial units because of a serious lack of transportation, bringing the production significantly down in the two days of protest, manufacturers said. Atiq Mir blamed the government for fuel price hike, surge in electricity and gas prices and worsening law and order situation.
He said the government continued to sustain a fragile economy through "artificial breathing" and was doing nothing to boost manufacturing sector. "Economies grow on adequate supplies of energy and better law and order in the country, and unfortunately both key factors badly lack in Pakistan''s case," he said with a strong sense of dismay.
Atiq Mir pointed out that about 0.35 million of people walked on foot as they cannot afford transport fares, whereas a similar number of children aged between 8 and 16 toil in low-wages jobs to support their poor families. "There are many more people in this city of opportunities who do not have two meals a day and suffer from the government''s bad policies," he said. He said the strike was a strong display of people''s anger and resentment against the government''s "anti-people" economic and social policies.