A complete shutter-down strike was observed in Karachi and some parts of Sindh on a call by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to mourn the death of its three workers in a blast outside the party’s camp office in North Nazimabad the previous day.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain paid tribute to traders, industrialists, transporters, workers, students, and people across different spheres of life for observing a peaceful day of mourning in Karachi and the rest of Sindh against the killings of party workers. However, normalcy returned to the metropolis after a daylong closure.
Like Karachi, routine life in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas was also remained suspended on Wednesday to observe a peaceful day of mourning on call of MQM.
A partial shutter-down was also reported from Nawabshah and Sukkur. Special prayers were held across the province for the departed souls of Peoples’ Chowrangi blast victims.
The country’s financial hub wore a deserted look on Wednesday and roads and streets remained desolate.
People kept to their houses and public transport remained off roads. Petrol pumps and CNG stations were closed down due to fear and attendance in government, semi-government and private offices was a record low.
Routine activities were suspended completely in MQM-dominated areas, while life in some areas like SteelTown, BinQasimTown, KeamariTown, Sachal Goth, Ayub Goth, Model Colony and Railways Colony continued per routine. Lyari, Baldia, Orangi, Landhi, Korangi, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Al-Asif Square, DHA and Clifton areas also remained partially operational.
Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary troops were deployed across the city to avoid any untoward incident.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain paid tribute to the people for observing a peaceful day of mourning in Karachi and the rest of Sindh. He said the people had shown by their proverbial unity against the killings of the MQM office-bearers, workers and an election candidate busy in election work that they strongly condemned the acts of terrorism against the MQM.
He said the MQM was being subjected to the worst kind of terrorism in order to keep it away from the electoral process, thereby depriving it of its constitutional and legal right.
“It is highly unfortunate that the caretaker government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) are not taking any notice of the rampant killings of the MQM workers,” the MQM chief said.
“Apparently, the barbaric killers have been given full freedom to play with the life and property of the people. The people have shown by their unity that their courage and determination cannot be lowered by killings, violence and terrorism.”
The MQM Coordination Committee also expressed its grave concern over the complete silence of all political and religious parties on incidents of terrorism in Karachi and Quetta that had killed several innocent people.
Party leader Farooq Sattar said the prevailing terrorist activities in parts of Karachi and Quetta showed that the upcoming general election would not be fair and transparent.
Talking to reporters, he said, “If our government institutions are not fulfilling their duties of ensuring fair elections, then by default or design it is leading towards unfair and non-transparent elections.”
“In certain provinces, like Punjab, election climate is in full swing with parties holding big rallies, while MQM and few other parties are pushed aside and barred from carrying out their election campaign.”
“In the given circumstances, when we are receiving open threats from terrorists, our offices are being attacked and party officials being killed, we are in no position to hold big rallies like other parties,” Sattar said.
The MQM committee also said it was a national tragedy that political and religious parties were maintaining a strange silence over the increasing incidents of terrorism.
“The MQM is constantly being made a target of terrorism which is evident from the fact that several MQM workers, including an election candidate, have been killed in various incidents of terrorism.”
The Coordination Committee appealed to the people to raise their voice against terrorism and give a strong message to the terrorists by their unity that a handful of terrorists could not hold them to hostage.
