dpa
Islamabad
The shutters went down and business remained closed across major cities in Pakistan on Saturday amid nationwide protests against inflated electricity prices.
Traders in major cities observed a shutter-down strike as they demanded the government slash energy prices, following a call from Jamaat-e-Islami (Society of Islam, JI), one of the leading Islamist political parties.
“Karachi has not witnessed such a successful shutter-down strike in last 10 years,” Atiq Mir, chairman of the All KarachiTajir Itehad (AKTI), an
umbrella organization for various trade associations, told DPA. Mir said that people were desperately looking at the government but “it seems the rulers have gone missing.”
Amid the growing anger and frustration of the people, the caretaker government increased the prices of petroleum products, with the price of petrol breaking 300 rupees ($0.98) per litre for the first time in the country’s history.
Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar told journalists in the capital that the outrage was “non-issue” and some political parties were using the prices as a tool for electioneering.
The government has also refused to slash the prices without a nod from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The fund put the country under tough conditions, including an end to energy subsidies and meeting revenue targets, for a $3bn loan in July aimed at reviving the nuclear-armed nation’s crumbling economy.
A massive increase in the price of electricity triggered protests across the country last week, with angry people burning their bills, blocking highways and attacking the power companies’ offices.
