Ameer Jamaat-e Islami Karachi Muhammad Hussain Mahenti said that the city was ruled by the gangs of criminals while the citizens and the traders and businessmen community was rendered helpless and insecure and was being placed at the mercy of the extortionists and kidnappers for ransom.
The situation had prevailed due to failure of the state to bring to book the accused of the Sher Shah Carnage.
The speedy justice to the victims and punishing the perpetrators could have helped improve the prevailing situation of lawlessness at its extreme. Killing of traders for refusing to pay the extortion money to the extortionist and kidnappers for extortion was highly condemnable and the government should react sternly to curb the escalating wave of crimes in the city.
Mahenti expressed these views while talking to the traders of Sher Shah Scrape Market on Thursday at Sher Shah Scrape Market. General secretary of Jamaat-e Islami Karachi chapter Naseem Siddiqui, Information Secretary Zahid Askari, Kabari Market Association President Zahid Malik, Small Traders Association leader Mehmood Hamid were also present on the occasion. They also visited shop of Syed Iqrar Ali, a local trader of Kabari Market, whom the extortionists had killed for refusing to pay the extortion money. They expressed their condolences to the aggrieved family of the assassinated trader.
Mahenti said that the Sher Shah Carnage was the saddest incident when the killers had massacred the traders for refusing to pay the extortion money.
The ongoing wave of extortion could have been curbed if the government would have brought the killers to book.
He said that the city was being turned into an extremely dangerous and unsafe city for the people and the traders.
He was critical to the law enforcement agencies for their failure to protect the traders despite the fact they were deployed around the Market.
He alleged the government had left the traders at the mercy of the extortionists while it had completely failed to protect the traders, who were the backbone of country’s economy.
He assured the traders that the Jamaat-e Islami would not leave the traders at the mercy of the extortionists and would stand beside them through thick and thin.
Speaking on the occasion, Zahid Malik said that if the government would not ensure traders safety, they would close their businesses for good.
He announced to observe June 22 as the day of prayers, which Mahenti endorsed.
