Traders on Tuesday appealed to the caretaker government to step up action against extortionists and deploy Rangers at markets to secure businesses against threats of extortion. Traders warned the interim government that they would block the main M A Jinnah Road if the government did nothing to act in favour of their demands.
"The incidence of extortion has risen sharply since the interim government was inducted," they said. Meanwhile, traders met here to review the security situation, keeping in view the growing threats against life and property. They maintained that extortionists were threatening traders and businessmen in many parts of the Sindh metropolis.
Traders claimed that the city's residential areas were also not immune from the threat of extortionists. The meeting termed the situation "too hard" to cope in the face of mounting threats and inaction on part of the provincial officials.
Traders pointed out that at least 70 complaints of extortion had been filed at the office of All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI), but the "exact number of affected traders is higher". They said that extortionists in the Old City area alone were now demanding as much as Rs3 million, adding that they (extortionists) had changed tactics to evade law enforcers.
Stressing the need for deploying Rangers personnel in markets, they said it was crucial to protect vulnerable traders from extortionists.