JI's countrywide shutter-down strike receives mixed response

The Jamaat-e-Islami’s call for a countrywide shutter-down strike received mixed response on Thursday, with businesses closed in several parts of Sindh while limited impact was seen in Punjab and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The party had called the strike to protest the petroleum levy, higher fuel prices and inflation. Its sit-ins in the provincial capitals, which began on August 16, also continues.

Karachi was among the major cities where the strike was visible. Shops and markets in Federal B Area, Water Pump, Liaquatabad and Teen Hatti were largely closed. JI Karachi chief Munim Zafar claimed that more than 300 small and large markets across the city have responded to the call and shut their businesses.

The Karachi Bar Association also supported the protest and said it would organise a peaceful march from the Sindh High Court to the Karachi Press Club against inflation. The JI sit-in also disrupted the Orange Line BRT, which remained suspended from the morning. The Green Line, however, continued to run.

The situation turned tense near Korangi Crossing when unidentified people reportedly set a tyre and two motorcycles on fire, blocking the road. The motorcycle market on Akbar Road was also closed. The strike was also reported in several other parts of Sindh.

Larkana reported a partial shutdown, with major markets and commercial areas closed, while Hala in Matiari also saw all business centres shut. In Thatta, shops, hotels, petrol pumps and commercial centres were closed in Makli, Gharo, Dhabeji, Mirpur Sakro, Garho and other areas.

Badin and Shikarpur also saw closures, including in Golarchi, Talhar, Matli and Tando Bago. In Tando Muhammad Khan, some businesses opened in the morning but later pulled down their shutters.

The response was less uniform in Hyderabad, where Chandni Market, Furniture Market, Khokhar Mohalla and Resham Bazaar remained closed while the strike was only partially observed overall.
JI workers in Tharparkar marked the protest at Kashmir Chowk by selling petrol to citizens for Rs225 per litre.

Outside Sindh, the strike failed to bring a complete shutdown. Peshawar saw a mixed response, with most shops on Ashraf Road closed but businesses in Qissa Khwani, Saddar, University Road and several other markets continuing their operations.

Rawalpindi was largely unaffected, with Raja Bazaar, Murree Road, Commercial Market and Tench Bhatta remaining open and traffic moving normally.

The strike also had little effect in Punjab and Balochistan, where businesses largely continued as usual.