The business community has urged Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Home Secretary and IG Sindh to take serious not of the murder of a renowned trader and order immediate arrest of the culprits.
The business community got upset over the murder of a prominent industrialist Khalid Iqbal a day before Eid-ul-Fitr. The businessmen fear for life.... they are packing up their businesses and are set to leave Karachi. Traders said not only the criminals brutally murdered Khalid Iqbal on a busy street, they also snatched one million rupees from him and fled scot-free.
They said the wave of terror has gripped the citizens of Karachi especially businessmen and the LEAs seemed helpless before a handful of criminals. They said no concrete efforts have been made for security of business community and the government and LEAs were only giving mere statements.
Pakistan Tanners Association (SZ) Chairman Aziz Ahmed said the business community is in a fix whether to pack up or wait for further measures to curb bhatta mafia and harassment of the trade and industry. They said it seems that the operation announced by Sindh government and Home Minister Rehman Malik against the target killers and gangsters is rather "cosmetics" as businessmen are yet to be fully protected which is evident from the cold-blooded murder of Khalid Iqbal.
They said at a time when the government was carrying out surgical operation to nab criminals, the assassination of Khalid Iqbal was hard to comprehend. "To get Karachiites rid of extortionists, the government should take immediate actions." They said during the holy month of Ramazan, the extortion, murder and street crimes had assumed alarming proportions.