KARACHI: Traders are going to start a “livelihood protection movement” against the soaring petrol and electricity prices from August 18, warning that they will not pay bills if the recent fuel price hike was not withdrawn.

The movement is being started from the megacity’s Bolton Market on August 18, falling on next Friday to press the government to reverse the fresh hike in the power and fuel prices.

At a traders’ convention, held on Friday evening, representatives of over a dozen of trade bodies agreed to step up the movement to save their businesses.

President All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders and Cottage Industry, Karachi chapter, Mehmood Hamid said that businessmen have no chance to protect their businesses amid growing electricity and oil prices.

“We are left with no options but to protest,” he told the convention, saying that the PDM rule made it harder for them to survive. He said that traders will not pay their bills if increase in fuel tariffs was not reversed.

He also vowed to resist the fresh hike in gas and petrol prices, saying that the trader community will not accept the “atrocious” surge. He said the government’s economic measures are “stone hearted” policies. He said that the government has already burdened the poor with numerous taxes while providing them with no supports for earning a respectable living.

“People are queued up for wheat flour,” he said adding that the PDM policies tormented the poor to committing suicides.

“At the farewell event, the national assembly members were served with 25 dishes, which is a mockery to this poor nation,” Mehmood said.

However, Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Muhammad Atiq Mir said that the government should stop treating traders as third class citizens. Lauding traders for their unity, he said Karachi generates 70 percent revenue but its citizens are not being provided even basic facilities.

He vowed that the traders will thrive on their unity to resist the inflation and protect their setups. “This movement is the voice of all traders,” he said and appealed to the tradesmen to attend the August 18 protest.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023