KARACHI: Trade associations on Tuesday reaffirmed their support for today’s shutter-down strike against the IPPs’ capacity charges, higher taxation, fuel oil and power tariffs and historic inflation.

Jamaat-e-Islami has urged the trade associations to support its strike for Wednesday, August 28 to pressure the ruling coalition into scraping the IPPs’ contracts of capacity charges and lowering power rates, as well.

JI Karachi Chief, Munem Zafar has directed its city’s leadership to intensify their efforts for the success of strike with taking support from all segments of the society. “The August 28 strike will change the political landscape of the country,” he asserted, saying that the strike will be decisive to force the ruling elite to withdraw excessive taxation.

“Gold market will remain closed because of the traders strike on Wednesday,” spokesman for All Sindh Saraf Jewellers Association, Abdullah Razaq said, informing that gold bullion rates will not be released on the strike day.

“The strike on August 28 will be successful nationwide,” Chairman of the Karachi Confectionery Association, Javed Abdullah said, asserting that the traders unity will fail the government’s plans across the country.

Mehboob Azam, the Central General Secretary of the All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders slammed those politicians opposing the traders strike for their “vested interest”. He says that the ruling elites are scared of the traders’ unity.

“The government will have to rein in the IPPs and withdraw the so-called oppressive business-friendly schemes,” he said that there is no force, which could now stop the traders’ movement in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024