KARACHI – Many traders of the MA Jinnah Road have stopped doing business in cash in response to the increasing robberies in the markets. The commercial centre of the MA Jinnah Road is under threat from robbers, who loot traders on gunpoint. Instead of relying on the law enforcement agencies, the traders have started adopting precautionary measures to protect their earnings on their own. Some traders told Pakistan Today that they have stopped wholesale dealing in cash and are demanding their customers to either transfer money to their bank accounts or to issue them cheques. They said that it is impossible to carry cash worth millions of rupees for fear of being robbed by unidentified culprits.
A trader at the motorcycle market, located on the Akbar Road, said that due to lack of security in the market, he has stopped dealing in cash and directed sub-dealers to deposit money in his bank account. He said that six unidentified men carrying weapons had stormed into his display centre four days ago and robbed him of Rs 75,000 cash and six mobile phones among other things. “During the robbery, two police constables of the Preedy police station – Altaf Abbasi and Ali Ahmed – were sitting at the petrol pump opposite the display centre. My office attendant informed them of the robbery, but they did not take any action,” he added. “Keeping the inefficiency of the law enforcers in view, we have decided to stop dealing in cash and directed our sub-dealers to transfer money in our bank accounts or issue us cheques,” he said.
The motorcycle market’s president said that the traders of the market had received extortion slips a few months ago, and then received several threatening calls when they refused to pay them. He said that the association’s members have approached senior police officials and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee for help.
Although the traders have not received any threatening calls after this move, they are still feeling insecure, he added. He said that the incidents of looting at gunpoint in the market have drastically increased, and vowed to participate in the traders’ strike. It is pertinent to mention here that the traders have announced a citywide shutter-down strike on Tuesday to protest the increasing demands of the bhatta mafia, looting in markets by unidentified culprits carrying weapons, and failure of the law enforcers in bringing the elements responsible to book.
Business centres at the MA Jinnah Road would remain closed and all commercial activities suspended.
Take out your chequebooks… we don’t want cash anymore!
