Traders strike against hike in fuel and power prices
- Major wholesale and retail markets remain closed in the country’s largest financial hub
KARACHI: Business centers on Saturday were closed on Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) strike call against inflation, as the JI Central Chief, Sirajul Haq warned the interim government of more strikes if petrol and power prices were not reduced.
Traders for the second consecutive day kept their businesses closed against the petroleum and electricity prices hike in the country, demanding of the government for a downward revision to arrest the inflation.
Major wholesale and retail markets were closed in the country’s largest financial hub.
JI calls for nationwide strike on Sept 2 over inflated electricity bills
Haq thanked people for a shutter-down strike to make the government withdraw high petrol and electricity prices, saying “the nation showed its true color to the world and government today.”
He warned that the JI will continue its protest drive across the country if the government did not make any efforts to scale back the fresh hike.
“Some 8 million shops from Karachi to Chitral observed a complete shutter-down strike on our call, which basically aimed to help bring down the electricity prices,” Sirajul Haq said on a social media platform.
JI Karachi Chief, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman appreciated the city’s traders for the two-day strikes against the inflation.
He said that the strike remained peaceful in Karachi as people showed a unity. “We have to get our right,” he added.
He termed the strike a “starting point” against the soaring power and petrol prices.
“The ruling elite of the country should adopt austerity to financially disburden the poor,” President, All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders and Cottage Industry Karachi chapter, Mehmood Hamid said.
He said that the inflation rise seems uncontrollable by the caretaker government, which has stormed the poor in a robust way, adding that petrol and electricity prices are “too high” for the low-income class to bear.
He said that the business community of the country was unhappy over the IMF deal with the PDM government since it entailed a robust growth of inflation.
He said that the government should stop perks of free electricity and petrol to the tune of Rs 220 billion and Rs 550 billion, separately.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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