Karachi is crawling back to normalcy after a day-long closure on Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat’s (ASWJ) wheel-jam strike call in Sindh following the attack on ASWJ leader Aurangzeb Farooqui. Shops, market, business centres and fuel stations were reopened on Wednesday evening. The vehicular traffic was restored and public transport also plied roads.
In the morning, the city was closed for all type of routine activities. The people remained indoors to avoid any mishap. Shops and markets in many areas remained close. Public transport was seen off-road in the day which created difficulties for those who were willing to go to offices. However, II Chundrigar Road, known as Wall Street of Pakistan, remained opened all day. The educational boards cancelled exams scheduled on Wednesday due to closure of public transport. The University of Karachi (KU) and the Federal Urdu University of Arts Science and Technology (FUUAST) also postponed all exams due to the ASWJ strike.
In Nagan Chowrangi, Paposh Nagar, Malir, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Landhi, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Keamari, Saddar, Old City, Orangi Town and North Nazimabad ASWJ workers forcibly closed shops and markets.
As many as five people were injured during closure of shops and markets. Two people were injured when unidentified armed men opened fire on them near Nala Stop. A man was injured during a bid to close shops in Malir. Separately, two people got bullet wounds when armed men wearing masks opened fire on them in Nagan Chowrangi and Paposh Nagar areas. Some unidentified armed men fired at an imambargah in Shah Faisal Colony No 4, but no causality was reported.
Rangers arrested over a dozen people for forcing shopkeepers to close shops and markets in the metropolis. The people are being interrogated. The retailers opened their businesses after the ASWJ announced to end the wheel-jam strike in the evening, but wholesalers could not resume their businesses due to prevailing fear in the city. All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI) President Atiq Mir told Pakistan Today, “A delegation of AKTI met injured ASWJ central leader in Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) and inquired after him.” AKTI chairman added, “The closure of city caused Rs 3 billion losses to traders on Wednesday,” he said. “Traders have already suffered losses of worth million of rupees due to strikes and weekly holidays. Therefore traders of Karachi have decided to keep businesses open on the eve of death anniversary of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto and urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (December 27-28) despite public holidays announced by the Sindh government,” he added. “Industries remained shut and industrial production halted due to unavailability of manpower due to closure of public transport in the city,” Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) President Haroon Agar told Pakistan Today. Suspension of industrial production caused Rs 2.5 billion losses to industrialists, KCCI president said, adding that the industrialists already suffered losses worth billions of rupees due to non-stop strikes in Karachi in December.
