KARACHI: Traders in Karachi announced a market strike on Wednesday to protest against high electricity bills and capacity charges. The All Saddar Alliance of Market and Mall Association declared a symbolic strike, closing markets for three hours daily.
Faheem Ahmed, the association's president, stated that an urgent meeting has been scheduled to discuss future actions. Traders will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to address issues regarding electricity prices and capacity charges.
Ahmed mentioned that the market closures will occur in phases, beginning with the Saddar markets. He emphasized that traders are struggling to pay the high electricity bills and capacity charges, urging the government to reduce tariffs.
On Tuesday, the traders’ community threatened a nationwide shutdown if the government does not withdraw the recently issued Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) under the Tajir-Dost Scheme.
President of All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran Ajmal Baloch rejected the SRO issued by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and warned that failure to withdraw it would lead to a nationwide strike.
Baloch demanded that the FBR immediately withdraw the SRO, asserting that it should align with the terms agreed upon between the government and traders.
He highlighted that during negotiations, it was communicated to the FBR that the scheme had failed, and both filers and non-filers are already paying advance income tax through electricity bills.
