Traders call off strike as five more killed in violence

All Karachi Traders Association called to end the strike against extortion and ransom kidnapping at 5 pm Wednesday. Traders told that the shops would reopen in the evening at 5 pm.
Earlier, a complete shutter down strike was observed in Karachi against kidnapping and killing of traders and extortion, as five more people lost their lives on Wednesday. According to trade unions, the trader’s abductions and killings of businessmen, extortion and crimes in the city markets have increased and the government has failed to maintain law and order in the city.
Meanwhile, all examinations of Federal Urdu University and Intermediate Board have also been postponed while the petrol pumps and markets remained closed on Wednesday.
The traders said that murders, extortion, kidnapping, street crimes and other incidents were ruling the streets of the city due to which All Karachi Tajir Itehad had given a 48-hour deadline to the government but the worsening situation could not be controlled with the passage of time. They said that Sher Shah incident further intensified the situation.
The leaders of traders said if the situation does not improve after one-day strike they would announce a three-day strike. The traders said that the government has failed to perform its duty to provide safety to the traders. They said the Sindh CM should improve the situation otherwise resign from his office.
The strike left commuters, students and workers stranded on roads as the Karachi Transport Ittihad supported the call for strike by the traders. Large crowds were seen at bus stops, and people paid much higher fare to taxicabs and auto-rickshaws to reach their destinations. Most educational institutes were also shut whereas scheduled board examinations were postponed and majority of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and petrol filling stations were closed for business.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and the Sunni Tehrik (ST) also supported the call for strike made by Chairman of Karachi Traders Association, Atiq Meer after extortionists killed Qarar Ali and Syed Zakir Ali, who were brothers of former MQM lawmaker Shakir Ali and traders in Shershah’s Kabari market on Tuesday.
Meanwhile Violence and unrest seems unstoppable in Karachi as at least five more people were killed and several injured in separate incidents of firing overnight in the financial capital, officials said on Wednesday.
According to police, two dead bodies with hands and feet tied were found in Memon Goth area of Karachi. Police claimed that both men were killed after they were kidnapped however the dead bodies could not be identified.
A dead body was found in Baghdadi area and was identified as Mosi Sengar after which panic spread in different areas including Agra Taj Colony, Khada Market and Bihar Colony while a man namely Amjad was shot dead by unknown enraged people.
Meanwhile, a man injured in firing on a shop in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and accused Kaleem Sidiqui alias Masoom Chingari, who was wanted in the target killing of two police officials and citizens’, was arrested from Orangi Town and weapons were recovered from his possession. Moreover, Rangers arrested two extortionists of banned People’s Aman Committee from Maripur while Darakhshan and Sher Shah Police also arrested two accused wanted in robberies and other crimes.