The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has warned of an indefinite strike it its demands not met by April 12. However, disagreeing with the Chamber's decision, the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad announced a complete shutter-down strike on April 5.
Addressing a press conference after holding a 3-hour meeting with over 200 representatives of various markets of the city, and leaders of business community, former president of KCCI, Siraj Kassim Teli, said the government was constantly giving "lollipop" to the business community, but the efforts are not practically visible on the ground.
He announced that there would be no strike on April 5, as announced earlier, and added that on that day businessmen would gather at Polo Ground at 2.30 pm, with white flags against extortion, kidnappings, targeted killings, and street crimes and to show solidarity with the Chamber and remain there till Maghrib.
Teli said that several meetings with Governor, Chief Minister, Home Minister, Interior Minister and high officials of police and rangers were held in the last few days and they had given assurances to them but still there is nothing on the ground. He said that extortionist mafias have become more active and now they have started killing businessmen if their demands are not met. Giving details of 10-point charter of demands, Teli said:
-- Police pickets should be established in all city markets and industrial areas.
-- Equip law-enforcing agencies with equipment to identify location of criminals and mobile phones they use, and arrest them.
-- Condition of licence for possessing arms be waived and everybody should be allowed to carry weapons for self-defence.
-- Police patrolling and number of policemen be increased in markets and industrial areas.
-- CCVT cameras be installed in all markets and important places in the city for apprehending criminals.
-- Law enforcing agencies be equipped with better wireless communication among themselves.
-- Political parties including MQM, PPP and ANP should sit together and find out the culprits behind criminal activities. They must give up mud-slinging against each other.
-- Arrest all those who are found involved in criminal activities without taking into their consideration political affiliation.
-- Action taken by the government should be visible and transparent
-- Police force engaged in security duties of ministers, political leaders, government officials and others must be withdrawn and posted for law enforcing duties in the city. Those ministers, political leaders, government official etc needing security guards must hire private security guards.
He said if these demand are not met by April 12 then the Chamber will hold a meeting on April 13 and decide the date for going on an indefinite strike. He said the strike will be peaceful, and added that the Chamber needs no support of political parties for strike.
Teli said that business community does not want to go on one-day strike as it would bear no result but would only cause losses to masses. About the identification of those involved in bhatta, kidnappings, targeted killings, and street crimes, Teli said that it is no more a secret and everybody knows that these mafias have some support of political parties and this is the main reason of police and rangers' failure to apprehend them.
Earlier, there seemed to be differences among leaders of the chamber and some groups of small traders. They were seen insisting that the chamber should give strike call for April 5, as decided earlier. However, after the press conference leaders of All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Atiq Meer and Jamil Ahmed Paracha announced a complete shutter-down strike in city on April 5. They said that the city has become a slaughterhouse of civilians and traders in general, and small traders in particular have started winding up businesses and moving to some safe places outside the city.
They expressed concern over KCCI behaviour and alleged that it is behaving like 'B team' of the government and had postponed the strike at the behest of the government, which is against the desire of 98 percent traders of the city. They claimed that they have decided, after getting approval of 300 different trade organisations of the city, to go on token strike on April 5. They said that if even after this strike law and order conditions do not improve, the Ittehad will hold a meeting and decide to go on an indefinite strike.
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