Islamabad: Traders went on strike and closed their businesses in major cities and urban areas in Pakistan on Wednesday to protest against a hike in electricity tariff and new taxes imposed on shopkeepers. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government has repeatedly raised electricity tariffs since Pakistan signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new USD 7 billion loan last month. The hikes have triggered massive discontent and protests. Most markets remained closed across Pakistan on Wednesday, though pharmacies and grocery stores remained open.
Kashif Chaudhary, a strike leader, said that these shops were not closed so that the general public does not face inconvenience. Shops remained closed in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, nearby city Rawalpindi, the country’s cultural capital Lahore and main economic center Karachi. The strike was called by Naeem-ur-Rehman, head of the religious Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan party and most of the traders’ organizations supported it.
However, traders observed a partial strike in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces, where some shops remained open. The strike is aimed at pressuring the government to roll back a recent hike in electricity bills and a controversial tax imposed following talks with the IMF. The agreement reached in July was the latest attempt by Pakistan to shore up its economy and tackle its debts through financial support from the global lender. Earlier this year, the IMF approved an immediate loan of $1.1 billion for Pakistan.
