Traders observe nation-wide strike against inflated power bills, price hike
Traders are observing a total shutter-down strike and organizing rallies in major cities across the country today (Saturday) to show their anger and frustration against bloated electricity bills and ever-rising prices of daily use commodities.
The nationwide strike is the continuation of the ongoing protest demonstrations spearheaded by traders and the public in various cities.
Earlier this week, Jamaat-i-Islami, which is the only political party raising its voice against the steep inflation, had called on traders and the citizens to participate in Saturday’s strike.
Commercial markets and business centres remained closed in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including Malakand, Hazara, Kohat, Bannu and DeraIsmail Khan divisions. Traders in Peshawar also organized a rally on Ashraf Road, the provincial capital’s busy wholesale market, and reiterated their resolve that the protest would continue till the government withdrew the hefty taxes.
Likewise, business hubs in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and various other cities also remained shut.
Very thin public transport plied on the roads and commuters faced numerous problems to reach their destinations.
According to media reports, the Tajir Action Committee (TAC) in Karachi has set the interim government a 72-hour deadline to reduce excessive electricity bills and withdraw recently imposed petroleum levies.
Similarly, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) president Irfan Iqbal Sheikh has said that the government is failing to read the writing on the wall.
By increasing petrol prices once again, the interim set up is inviting a fresh wave of inflation, he said, adding that it is most worrisome that the petroleum levy has been raised to Rs60 per litre. “Out-of-box thinking is required to emerge out of the economic crisis,” he said.
Caretaker Premier Anwaarul Haq Kakar, however, on his part denied that the sudden increase in electricity bills is a cause for concern and termed it a “non-issue”. During an interaction with senior journalists in Islamabad earlier this week, Mr Kakar had asserted that the consumers will “have to pay the bills”.
The lawyers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have also extended support to the protest call and boycotted court proceedings in various cities. The Punjab Bar Council also protested the rising inflation with lawyers not appearing in lower courts. – compiled from dispatches from our correspondents, additional input from news agencies
