Jodia Bazaar and several other wholesale markets across Karachi will remain closed on Wednesday, July 15, as traders observe a strike against the arrest of shopkeepers, the sealing of businesses and what they described as harassment through fines, it was reported on Tuesday.
Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association Chairman Rauf Ibrahim announced the strike, saying wholesale commodity shops in Jodia Bazaar, Lea Market, Dandia Bazaar, Nanakwara, Landhi, Malir, Korangi and Liaquatabad would remain closed.
He said the closure of Jodia Bazaar, one of the country’s largest wholesale markets, would also suspend the supply of essential commodities from Karachi to other parts of Pakistan.
Ibrahim said traders were protesting against enforcement action taken on the grounds of high flour prices.
He alleged that shopkeepers had been arrested and issued fines ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs150,000 without being provided formal challan documents.
According to Ibrahim, traders were instead given EasyPaisa account numbers for the payment of fines.
“No shopkeeper has been provided with a challan paper,” he said, claiming the practice lacked transparency and amounted to harassment.
The association chairman questioned why similar action had not been taken against flour mill owners allegedly responsible for supplying flour at higher prices.
He demanded that authorities issue challans to and seal the premises of flour millers found selling flour at excessive rates rather than targeting wholesale traders.
Ibrahim said several shops in the wholesale market remained sealed and called for their immediate reopening.
He said traders would not accept arrests, business closures or the collection of fines without proper legal documentation.
