- Sindh partially observe JI’s shutter-down strike.
- Karachi major markets largely shut in response to strike call.
- Most businesses in Balochistan capital continue normal operations.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) nationwide shutter-down strike call against the petroleum levy and inflation received a mixed response on Thursday, with markets and shops remaining partially closed in parts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), while Punjab and Balochistan largely remained open for business.
The JI announced the nationwide strike against the petroleum levy, rising fuel prices and inflation on September 3 (today), while its sit-ins in provincial capitals over the same demands, launched on August 16, continued.
In Sindh, several commercial areas in Karachi observed the strike, with JI Karachi chief Munim Zafar claiming more than 300 small and large markets were closed.
Markets in Federal B Area, Water Pump, Liaquatabad and Teen Hatti also remained largely closed. The Karachi Bar Association supported the strike and said it would hold a peaceful rally from the Sindh High Court to the Karachi Press Club against inflation.
The Orange Line BRT service remained suspended from the morning due to the JI sit-in, while the Green Line continued operating normally.
Near Korangi Crossing, unidentified people reportedly burned a tyre and two motorcycles, blocking the road. The Akbar Road motorcycle market also remained closed.
In Hyderabad, the strike was partially observed, with Chandni Market, Furniture Market, Khokhar Mohalla and Resham Bazaar closed.
Thatta observed a shutter-down strike, with commercial centres, hotels, petrol pumps and shops closed in Makli, Gharo, Dhabeji, Mirpur Sakro, Garho and other areas.
Commercial centres in Badin and Shikarpur also remained closed, including those in Golarchi, Talhar, Matli and Tando Bago. In Tando Muhammad Khan, shops that initially opened later closed.
Larkana observed a complete strike, with major markets and commercial areas shut, while Hala in Matiari also witnessed a complete shutdown, with all business centres closed.
In Tharparkar, JI workers staged a symbolic protest at Kashmir Chowk, where petrol was sold to citizens at Rs225 per litre.
In KP, the strike received a mixed response in Peshawar, with most shops on Ashraf Road closed while businesses in Qissa Khwani, Saddar, University Road and other markets remained open.
Lawyers in Peshawar also boycotted court proceedings on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council’s call, expressing solidarity with the JI strike and citing rising food and petroleum prices.
Lower Dir observed a complete strike, with commercial centres closed and traffic significantly reduced. Markets in Batkhela, Dargai, Sakakot and Thana Baizai in Malakand also remained shut, while the district bar association boycotted court proceedings.
Charsadda saw partial closures in Tehsil Bazaar, with the district bar supporting the strike. Most business centres in Shabqadar were partially closed, while markets and commercial centres in Dera Ismail Khan remained open.
In Punjab, the strike was largely ineffective in Rawalpindi, where Raja Bazaar, Murree Road, Commercial Market and Tench Bhatta remained open, and traffic was normal.
In Lahore, JI workers and traders confronted each other on Mall Road over the strike call. The dispute escalated into heated exchanges and a scuffle, prompting a heavy police deployment.
In Balochistan, business activity largely continued despite the strike call. In Quetta, most shops and commercial centres remained open, with activity continuing in Liaquat Bazaar, Shahrah-e-Iqbal, Kasi Road and adjoining areas.
Khuzdar, however, observed the strike, with commercial centres and markets closed. A JI protest camp was set up at central Azadi Chowk against the petroleum levy and inflation.
Hafiz Naeem announces next course of action
A day ago, JI Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the party believed in peaceful political resistance and would announce its next course of action after the nationwide strike.
Addressing participants at the Lahore sit-in, he said the JI would consult opposition parties over a possible long march, warning that if the issue remained unresolved, the party would launch a movement to oust the incumbent government.
In Karachi, Hafiz Naeem said the government had contacted the JI and expressed hope that its team would visit JI headquarters in Lahore, Mansoora, for negotiations.
He made it clear that negotiations would take place alongside the strike, adding that the sit-ins would continue until the party’s demands were accepted.
The JI protests come amid growing public concern over rising fuel prices, inflation and soaring electricity bills.
The federal government is under mounting pressure over successive fuel price increases and their impact on inflation.
Pressure has intensified after authorities shifted from a 15-day fuel price review to a daily mechanism amid volatility in global oil prices following renewed hostilities in the Middle East.
The fuel price dispute has also sparked protests and demands from transporters and petroleum dealers.
