KARACHI: The city on Monday remained closed with a suspension of trade and commercial activities after a countrywide shutter-down strike call by a religious sect.

The shutter-down strike call came up in the wake of violent clashes between the outlawed TLP members and police especially in parts of Punjab.

The TLP and its like minded religious sects and parties like JUI-F and JI supported the strike call for Monday given by former chief of Central Reut-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman at a press conference late Sunday night.

The strike paralysed the city brining suspension to trade and commercial activities as small and big retail and wholesale markets remained closed during the day. Streets and roads gave a deserted look during the day.

Markets of grains, medicines, wood, furniture, mobile phones, electronics goods, clothing, paper sheets, steel, meat, sports items, perfume and cycles markets of Lighthouse, restaurants for eating out, birds and pets businesses and public transportation were closed.

Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman also asked the government to release the arrested workers of the banned outfit and make a settlement with protestors.

"Supporting the view, demands, and announcements of Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman," JI Chief Senator Sirajul Haq said in a tweet.

Similarly, chief of JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman also extended support to the strike call.

A series of violence started after the outlawed TLP chief, Saad Rizvi was arrested in Lahore just before a planned sit-in protest in Islamabad to make the government expel French ambassador.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021