Traders initiate strikes in protest against power bills

ISLAMABAD: Trade organizations nationwide have declared strikes to protest against inflated electricity bills and escalating inflation.

The All Pakistan Trade Association has slated a nationwide shutter-down strike for August 31 (Thursday) in opposition to the surging bills. The association is urging the government to establish policies favorable to the public and cease the allotment of complimentary electricity units to government officials.

Aligned with the All Pakistan Trade Association’s decision, the All Traders Welfare Association of Islamabad and the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peshawar have also endorsed a comprehensive shutter-down strike.

Meanwhile, the business community of Karachi has disclosed plans for a shutter-down strike on September 1, as a response to soaring electricity bills and the mounting inflation.

Electricity bills: JI calls for nationwide strike on Sept 2

Sharjeel Goplani, President of the All City Traders Association, conveyed that markets throughout Karachi will be closed on Friday (September 1) to voice opposition against inflated electricity bills and rising inflation.

This resolution has garnered support from other trade unions as well, affirming that all Karachi markets will join the shutter-down strike on September 1.

The business community of Sukkur announced to observe a shutter-down strike on September 2 against the inflated electricity bills and rising inflation.

According to a release issued here, President Sukkur Small Traders, Haji Javed Memon said that markets across Sukkur would remain closed on Saturday in protest against inflated electricity bills and rising inflation.

The surge in power bills has triggered nationwide protests spanning from Karachi to Khyber, with some demonstrations escalating into violence. Protesters are demanding an end to the allocation of free electricity to prominent figures and seeking relief from bills surpassing their incomes.

Protest rallies have materialized across various parts of Karachi. Demonstrators, accompanied by their children and brandishing banners and placards, voiced their discontent with the government’s role in exacerbating their living conditions.

Protests erupted in several neighborhoods of Karachi, including Ayesha Manzil, Korangi, Five Star Chowrangi, Yaseenabad, and Labour Square, where aggrieved citizens resorted to setting their electricity bills ablaze.

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