'Unannounced' strike paralyses Karachi: other major cities, towns also affected in Sindh

An 'unannounced' but effective strike, ostensibly in reaction to a contempt of court notice issued against MQM chief Altaf Hussain by the Supreme Court, on Saturday halted civic and commercial life in the Sindh metropolis. According to reports, the strike also affected other major towns and cities in Sindh, including Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Tando Allahyar.
The country's financial hub experienced an upheaval after unidentified men took to the streets as soon as the telephonic speech of MQM chief Altaf Hussain ended. The armed men indulged in firing in air, forcibly suspending all commercial and social activities across the city within 30 minutes. All petrol pumps, shops, roadside kiosks and restaurants, across the metropolis remained shut till Saturday evening, depriving people an opportunity to restock kitchen stuff and fuel. Public transport also remained off the road between dawn and dusk on Saturday, forcing people to stay indoors.
All schools, colleges and universities remained closed and exams were postponed. Although no major untoward incident was reported till the filing of this report, attendance in private and public enterprises was very thin. Protests were organised in various city areas, including Liaquatabad, Rizvia, Feral 'B' Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Saddar to "express solidarity with the MQM chief".
Protesters, who displayed placards and burnt tyres on main roads, chanted slogans in favour of MQM chief Altaf Hussain. Police officials refused to comment on the unannounced strike. Meanwhile, an MQM statement dispelled the impression that the strike or the protests were supported by the party and said that they had not given any strike or protest call, insisting that it had nothing to do with the spontaneous protests.