Fear of violence brings cargo handling, transport to a standstill

Looming fears of violence on Thursday brought public and cargo transport to a standstill, as city's opened markets wore a deserted look for the lack of customers, inflicting at least Rs 2.5 billion loss on businessmen, traders said. Fear of vandalism hits the city once again on Wednesday evening as sporadic incidents of violence in different areas were reported shortly after killings of Awami National Party's (ANP) two activists.
Scores of vehicles were set ablaze, driving the trade and business activities to an early closure. The ANP had called to observe a mourning day. According to the traders who resumed their business activities told Business Recorder that despite markets in different parts of the city had been opened but unavailability of public transport their customers could not reach shopping centres.
They also said that a large number of daily wagers, who largely depended on public transport to commute to their works places, could not appear as fear of violence also contributed to force them to stay at home. He said only 8 to 10 percent customers could appear during the day.
"Some 80 percent markets in different parts of the metropolis remained open but markets in Saddar were shut," Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Muhammad Atiq Mir told Business Recorder, saying despite opening of markets supplies of grain, food, medicines, vegetables and fruit could not take place for lack of transport. "Small traders suffered at least Rs 2.5 billion loss on the transport-less day," he said, adding that the lean business had also hit the daily wagers, who could not earn their remunerations. He said fears of terror had left the traders and workers deeply panicked and made jobs difficult for them, as law enforcers were never seen to protect them in the violence.
Atiq Mir said the lack of encouragement from the security enforcing departments had badly affected the traders, as security was not sufficient in the city's all markets, where extortionists openly walk without any fear of the police and threaten the businessmen with serious consequences. He said the government should establish its writ and stem the rising trend of violence in the city, adding that everyday killings had badly weakened the traders' financial positions. He said the traders had stopped fresh investments because of the uncertain situation in the metropolis.