Another Shut down in Karachi: City left at the mercy of Terrorists & Bhathakhors

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Another Shut down in Karachi: City left at the mercy of Terrorists & Bhathakhors

(28 posts)

d0ct0r
Member

2 weeks back whole Shara-e-Faisal was closed down for PPP's 18th October anniversary.

Hardly 6 days back when Sunni Tehreek's cheif gangster's stupid security guard mistakenly shot himself during a protest, Sunni Tehreek's terrorist here in Karachi went berserk and forcefully closed down businesses and resorted to firing and arson which resulted in MASSIVE traffic jams on major roads and closure of businesses all across Karachi.

Attack rumours spark violence in Karachi
http://public.dawn.com/2010/10/30/attack-rumours-spark-violence.html

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5935/116201071217am.jpg

Now today yet again Karachi is being closed down,Reason for this complete shut down of Karachi is that dead body of an absconder who had fled this city while sporting a beard and a wig in 1999 is being transferred and transported back to the city for last rites.During his final days he had been sidelined and literally expelled from the party which he was founding member of,leaders and activists of the party were barred from keeping any type of contact with him. But ever since his sudden,shocking & unexplainable death some 2 months back MQM and its senior leaders have been painstakingly trying to give an impression that everything was OK and he had no differences with Mafia chief Altaf.
Altaf Hussain even resorted to exquisitely orchestrated melodrama in which he shed crocodile tears like a new born infant. ( Video #3 )

Guilty conscience often leads to such emotional performances by absconding grand terrorist just like this performance(Video #1) after 9th April arson attack in which MQM Altaf's terrorist locked up and burnt down 10 men/women and shot down 48 others and torched 60 vechicles. Altaf Hussain and his gang over the years have perfected the art of killing and buring down people and then hijacking the dead bodies and claiming that all the victims were their own 'hamdards' and activists and then shedding crocodiles tears for them afterwards.

Anyways coming back to the topic,Goons from Mafia gang MQM Altaf notorious for voilence,bloodshed and arson had in advance intimidated and threatened all shopkeepers and transporters to keep their businesses closed and transport off the road on the burial day or else they would themselves be responsible for the consequences.

Traders,transporters and private institutions have announced that they are closed on saturday.

Bottom line is that notorious terrorists have hijacked the public and rule this city with impunity and they are given official patronage and protocol.

Video #1 Murderer Altaf Shedding crocodile tears for victims of 9th April Tahir Plaza arson attack

Video #2 Dependents of Tahir Plaza arson attack victims still waiting for justice as killer remain at large..

Absconder Altaf shedding crocodile tears

Posted 1 year ago on 06 Nov 2010 5:02 #
expakistani
Member

how come Ch.iftekhar not taking his typical suta mota notice....

Posted 1 year ago on 06 Nov 2010 5:06 #
Hussain Farooqui
Member

These religious organizations are irresponsible like political organizations. Last year, the shopkeepers of MA Jinnah Rd. lost commodities billion of rupees after the occurrence of a bomb blast in Aushura procession.

Posted 1 year ago on 06 Nov 2010 5:15 #
d0ct0r
Member

Firing, arson(by MQM Altaf's unit terrorists) sow fear in city

KARACHI, Nov 5: Scattered incidents of firing and arson on Friday forced the businesses to close hours before their scheduled time with the traffic becoming thin on the roads as fear gripped the city on the eve of the burial of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Dr Imran Farooq.

Nearly an hour before sunset shops started closing in different localities, mainly in the central district of the city, where heavy gunfire forced traders to pull down shutters. Police confirmed that the firing incidents were reported in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad and Liaquatabad.

A minibus was set on fire near the Power House traffic intersection of Federal B Area and another bus met the same fate in Sector L-1 of Surjani Town. Business in the Saddar and old city areas were also closed after sunset.

Though there was no official word from the police authorities about the reason behind the anxiety among the citizens, the fear of any untoward incident was found common among Karachiites. In a few areas, traders complained that they were forced to close business by armed men.

A large number of petrol pumps and CNG stations also started wrapping up their business hours before the regular time, while a few that remained open handled long queues of vehicles.

The traders’ bodies have already announced that they would keep business in major markets and commercial centres closed on Saturday for “security reasons and mourning”.

Late in the night, the transporters also announced that they would not operate vehicles on Saturday.
“After a meeting of senior members of the body, we have decided to keep our vehicles off the roads on Saturday,” said Irshad Bukhari, president of the Karachi Transport Ittehad.

The police on the other hand chalked out a security plan for the shifting of Dr Farooq’s body from the airport to Nine Zero and then burial of the leader.

“More than 3,000 policemen will be deputed for the overall security arrangement,” said an official privy to the decision taken at a recent meeting of security officials without elaborating the route map of the body’s transfer.

“Similarly, 40 mobile vans of the Rangers carrying armed personnel would assist the police under the security plan. The motorcycle squad and four APCs (armored personnel carriers) would also be deputed for the purpose.”

http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/06/firing-arson-sow-fear-in-city.html

Posted 1 year ago on 06 Nov 2010 7:22 #
toamin
member

i have never seen a person crying so hard but also giving smooth speech, usually if a person is crying due to immense emotional condition he/she can't talk non-stop like mr. altaf hussain

Posted 1 year ago on 06 Nov 2010 8:13 #
naseemkhanan
Member

He is a conartist for sure.

Posted 1 year ago on 06 Nov 2010 8:17 #
d0ct0r
Member

Criminal Mafia Gang MQM Altaf's 'contribution' to Karachi and Pakistan's economy..

These friggin hardcore criminal bhathakhors are the sole reason for adverse and negative business atmosphere in Karachi.

Industrial, business activities come to a halt

By Aamir Shafaat Khan
Sunday, 07 Nov, 2010

KARACHI, Nov 6: Production remained suspended in the city’s four main industrial areas while all wholesale and retail markets were completely closed as slain MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq was buried here on Saturday.

Owing to absence of public transport people failed to reach their workplaces. Workers living in the surroundings of the industrial areas marked their presence but couldn’t energise normal production.

There was complete suspension in the two-way container and truck movement of goods to and from the port, industries and markets.

Though industrial associations had not announced holiday on Saturday but attendance remained thin in their units.

A large number of people on daily wages in the markets and industries were deprived of the day’s income.

However, many industries had called upon their staffers and workers on Sunday to cover up Saturday’s productivity losses.

CNG and Petroleum Dealers Association Chairman Abdul Sami Khan said that out of 300 CNG pumps and 400 petrol pumps, over 90 per cent remained shut.

Site Association of Trade and Industry Chairman Abdul Wahab Lakahni said only 25-30 per cent of workers living in nearby areas arrived but industrialists could not start their machines owing to low strength.

F.B. Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBATI) Chairman Mohammad Irfan said only 15-20 per cent production work in the morning shift was witnessed.

North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry Chairman Faraz Mirza said that hardly two per cent production was achieved as majority of workers did not turn up.

Sources in Korangi industrial area said that almost all the industrial units were closed after announcement by traders and transporters to keep their work suspended on Saturday.

President Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market Super Highway Haji Shahjehan said hardly five to 10 per cent sales were recorded as traders did not arrive due to market closure.

http://www.dawnexhibitions.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/business/industrial,-business-activities-come-to-a-halt-710

Posted 1 year ago on 09 Nov 2010 19:44 #
d0ct0r
Member

Fear, mourning behind Karachi shutdown

By Imran Ayub
Sunday, 07 Nov, 2010

KARACHI: The city was completely shut down on Saturday apparently because of widespread fear blended with mourning as the body of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Imran Farooq was flown in from London and was later buried in Federal B Area amid a few incidents of arson and shooting.

Though the traders, who had already announced that they would keep major commercial houses and business centres closed on the burial day of Dr Farooq, shops inside thickly populated residential areas also remained shut throughout the day.

Almost the same situation was witnessed on roads where life remained paralysed after a late-night announcement by the transporters’ body to keep the vehicles off the roads.

Life in the city, which started witnessing incidents of firing and arson on Thursday evening, came virtually to a halt with no sign of regular business and social activity across the metropolis. Even beggars were nowhere to be seen, so complete was the shutdown.

“The decision to keep the vehicles off the roads was taken after deliberations with members of our organisation,” said Irshad Bukhari, president of the Karachi Transport Ittehad.

“A few incidents on Thursday evening further discouraged transporters from operating their vehicles and even today (Saturday) we have reports of attacks on public transport in a few areas.”

Mr Bukhari’s findings matched with the data collected by the central fire station that recorded at least three incidents of arson in different parts of the city, where armed men intercepted the vehicles before setting them on fire.

A motorcycle was also set on fire in Khawaja Ajmer Nagri after a brief exchange of fire between workers of two political parties.

Though the area police claimed to have controlled the situation, the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital received two injured from the affected part that included an MQM worker identified as Imran, said to be in his early 20s.

“In Pak Colony, a rickshaw was set on fire and in Saeedabad a minibus (JE-9285) met the same fate,” said an official at the central fire station.

In North Nazimabad two young men associated with the MQM received bullet wounds in firing, but people behind the incident remained untraced. Though the victims blamed the Rangers for the firing, the police said they were still investigating the incident.

“Two MQM workers — Shahzad and Imran, in his mid-30s and residents of Orangi Town — received a single bullet wound each in firing near the Five-Star traffic intersection, within the remit of the Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan police station,” said SP Malik Zafar Iqbal of North Nazimabad Town.

“They accused the Rangers of firing, but we didn’t have any such reports. Initial findings suggested that the two youngsters collided with a bus that led to an exchange of hot words and then firing from an unknown side. Both have been shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.”

Major business centres and markets remained closed following the announcement made by the traders’ association a couple of days ago. They referred to their decision both as a sign of mourning and security measures.

“We even kept the businesses closed on the very next day when Dr Farooq was murdered in London,” said Siddiq Memon of the Karachi Traders Action Committee.

“Security has always been an issue in this city for the traders and we prefer protection of life and property of our members to business.”

However, he said, the traders were likely to operate on Sunday to make up for the losses to some extent and meet business commitments which could not materialise on Saturday.

http://news.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/12-fear,+mourning+behind+karachi+shutdown--bi-03

Posted 1 year ago on 09 Nov 2010 19:47 #
d0ct0r
Member

(A common Karachiite's tale about how his life was messed up when false rumour about terror gang sunni tehreek's cheif assassination attempt spread(when in reality his most probably drunk guard shot himself) throughout Karachi and his stupid supporter went amuck and ruined Karachiite's lives and started torching vehicles and resorted to firing..)

Rumour has it…

Rumours can work perfectly normal folks into a paranoid frenzy. And when one factors in the role cellphones, television and modern technology can play in fanning rumours, the results are not pretty. In the context of Karachi rumour-mongering can have extremely destructive consequences and it can take the smallest spark to ignite a fire that has the potential to engulf large parts of the city in mayhem. Eighteen million paranoid, frenzied souls is a recipe for disaster.

Take the example of one recent Friday night. As this writer rode the old two-wheeler home from work in the evening there was an unusual sense of unease in the air. Of course being a citizen of Karachi, where violent crime, ethnic, political and sectarian ‘targeted’ killings and random mob violence has become quite the disturbing norm, there’s nothing strange about unease. But that particular evening Karachi’s commuters seemed to be in an unusually frantic rush to get home, more so than the usual madness that is witnessed everyday during rush hour on the metropolis’s roads.

Major commercial centres had closed down way earlier than usual, an instant giveaway that something was fishy. After having made my way through intense traffic to the mother-ship in North Nazimabad, I noticed a number of missed calls from relatives and friends on my cellphone.

When I called people back I had nearly the identical conversation with each person. Everyone was calling to inquire about my safety. A relative asked me what was wrong, to which I replied that I hadn’t the foggiest. “Apparently, someone important has been shot”, he told me. When I inquired who this person was, he was clueless. “I’m not sure who it is, but they say it is someone important”, he said.

I asked my relative where he had heard the news of the shooting from. None of the channels had the details of the “important” person supposedly gunned down, but the rumour had been spread by word of mouth and through text messages. The actual details emerged in the morning when the papers were consulted: it had been rumoured that the leader of a religio-political party had been attacked in Pakpattan. This was, of course, not true, but it helped spark panic in the city, with the result that several vehicles were torched and quite a few localities of Karachi reverberated with gunfire.

Though the media, specifically the electronic media, has often been accused of sensationalising news, for the most part in this case the media acted responsibly. However, Karachiites are always on edge and hence even unconfirmed stories can travel around the city within minutes courtesy cellphones and text messages. Perhaps we as citizens should take more care when forwarding such ‘news’.

There’s little we can do about controlling law and order in Karachi; what we can do is try our best not to let half-baked rumours bring normal life to a grinding halt.—QAM

http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/08/rumour-has-it.html

Posted 1 year ago on 09 Nov 2010 19:59 #
d0ct0r
Member

Because of these friggin bhathakhors(extortionists) most of the businesses were open today despite 9th November Iqbal day,because these friggin' criminal mafias have made the overall business environment miserable.

Posted 1 year ago on 09 Nov 2010 20:03 #
KHAN_Sahib
Member

@EXPAK,

Suo moto action on a crime outside Pakistan?????? I thought Edgware road was in London and comes under jurisdiction of United Kingdom? Ya Shayed Chief Altaf edgware road ko bhee azizabad samjney lagey hain (And hence the target killing in London... LOL)

Posted 1 year ago on 09 Nov 2010 21:29 #
spruce
Member

sooon or latter altaf game will be over.
at the moment foriegn agancies specially israil and india are protecting him because he working on thier aganda,so they are using him agaisnt pakistan and he is main key player spreading hatered among all ethnics, and india using him agaisnt punjabees because india knows punjab is main threat for him,so altaf is trying to make them happy in all cost

Posted 1 year ago on 10 Nov 2010 6:14 #
KHAN_Sahib
Member

Ali... India is using Altaf against Punjabi's? How come? Where? Eager to know!

Posted 1 year ago on 10 Nov 2010 7:02 #
d0ct0r
Member

Yet another shutdown in Karachi,this time not just for one or two days but literally for a week in a row.

Even before the start of the week there were rumors that police is planning to cordon off the entire business district of the city for entire week to facilitate and secure shia's memorial events that they had planned for this week.

Police last Saturday had to issue a special statement to clear up the confusion that only on 8,9,10 muharram business activities would remain suspended and main markets and school would remain closed. In past as i have been saying that intensity of religious drama of both barelvis and shias continues to increase and both of them try to outdo each other with their imbecility,they cook up and concoct new innovative dramas each year to keep their stupid followers engaged.

KARACHI, Dec 11: All local markets will remain open as usual on the 6th of Muharram 6 (Monday), according to a statement issued by office of the Capital City Police on Saturday.

The measures being taken for security across the city were for the 8th, 9th and 10th of Muharram as all routes of religious processions would remain closed to vehicular traffic and unauthorised persons, the statement added.

http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/12/markets-open-on-monda.html

Last December a road side bomb planted by savage and barbaric terrorists went off killing almost 43 and injuring dozens of participants of procession, imemdiately afterwards mob from procession went berserk and broke shutters of shops in main business district of Karachi. They stole and plundered arms,ammunition from arm dealers shops,stole other goods,broke into city govt's City District Council building(KMC Building) damaged the property,set on fire a mosque located within the premiseds of KMC building and then these friggin' terrorists went on to burn almost 2000+ shops of main wholesale markets( bolton market etc) of karachi using highly flammable chemical which resulted in property and goods worth well over Rs 2~4 billion completely gutted to ashes.

These videos clearly show arsonists wearing gloves using chemicals to burn shops,banks,City council's KMC building,Masjid etc located on M A Jinnah road.

.

.

one year on.. Bolton Market burnt last december still being 'rebuilt'

Many schools to observe holiday today(14th dec)

KARACHI, Dec 14: Indecisiveness on the part of the Sindh government whether schools of the city will remain closed or not on Wednesday has not only created confusion among parents but also forced the management of a number of private schools to keep their institutions closed on Wednesday in view of strict security measures taken by the law-enforcement agencies all around the route of main Ashura procession.

A large number of parents made frantic calls to newspaper offices to know whether the government had announced holiday for schools and colleges on Wednesday. However, when they were informed that no such announcement had been made, they asked as to how they would be able to send their wards to schools, particularly those located on either side of the M. A. Jinnah Road, as the law-enforcers had already started placing heavy containers at various intersections.

However, repeated attempts by Dawn to contact senior officials of the education department, including Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, to know whether the educational institutions of the city in general and the former district South in particular, where strict security measures had been taken to ward off any untoward incident, would be closed did not bear fruits.

No decision about winter vacations

The Sindh government has so far failed to take any decision concerning forthcoming winter vacations although a summary whereby the provincial education department had recommended that the winter vacations, which are normally observed from Dec 22 to Dec 31, be curtailed from 10 days to three days, had been lying in the provincial chief secretary`s secretariat for the last two months for approval.

The Sindh education department had recommended to the chief minister to curtail the number of winter vacations from 10 to three.

Meanwhile, sources in the education department told Dawn that if the summary whereby the education department had sought a cut in the number of winter vacations was not approved by the chief minister by Wednesday, the earlier decision of the department`s steering committee, according to which the winter vacations are to be observed from Dec 22 to 31, would prevail.

If the winter vacations in the schools and colleges of the province are observed in the light of the steering committee`s earlier decision, the number of winter holidays, this year, would not be 10 days but 12 days as Jan 1 and 2, 2011, are falling on Saturday and Sunday.

http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/15/many-schools-to-observe-holiday-today.html

Posted 1 year ago on 17 Dec 2010 22:54 #
gazi23
Member

Well Doctor Sahab do us the favor and spare Karachi from your reports....Believe me it will looks much peaceful...:)

Posted 1 year ago on 17 Dec 2010 23:36 #
Not Possible
Blocked

@Doctor

you are the one who is stupid

how come within minutes of the Ashura Blast people with gloves and flamable material and chemicals arrived at the scene

either by you salafi or other fitna agents...it was pre planned!!

it is you salafi who are the terroists stupid

and you call otheres so and so and your salafi lies are all being exposed here

http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/forum/faith-and-religion

Posted 1 year ago on 18 Dec 2010 1:00 #
quaidkamazaar
Member

doctor saahab,
please find a cure for your sickness of spreading propaganda.
i wish you all the best.

Posted 1 year ago on 19 Dec 2010 10:46 #
d0ct0r
Member

7 dead,9 injured 10 vehicles torched in Karachi anarchy; strike observed

http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/topic/ppp-to-observe-%e2%80%98protest-day%e2%80%99-against-sc-on-friday#post-218018

Posted 1 year ago on 11 Mar 2011 9:15 #
d0ct0r
Member

Ironically MQM's criminal HQ nine zero says absconding MQMized grand terrorist Altaf Bi was grieved coz of people being killed and public property and transport being torched during PPP's strike. I am sure this butcher forgot that he himself is responsible for hundreds of such bloody strikes in which his MQMized goons have Killed thousands of Innocent Karachiites and burnt thousands of public and private vehicles.

Posted 1 year ago on 11 Mar 2011 9:40 #
siddiqi73
Member

For real y'all, the doctor dude has really lost his marbles! You need to take a chill pill and enlighten us about what Imran Khan had for breakfast this morning.

Posted 1 year ago on 11 Mar 2011 9:43 #
shirazi
Member

@siddiqi73

I am more curious about Mian Sb. breakfast routine. How is he coping w/o nihari and siri pai in Switzerland?

:)

Posted 1 year ago on 11 Mar 2011 16:11 #
Dusky
Member

Likely he is getting a quick delivery every morning from Southall - London.

Posted 1 year ago on 11 Mar 2011 16:20 #
Anwer Kamal
Member

Read this news.
What a lie.
@Dell
I try again.
http://ejang.jang.com.pk/3-11-2011/Karachi/images/1049.gif

Posted 1 year ago on 11 Mar 2011 22:56 #
dell
Blocked

Anwar Kamal

Your link is not working!!

Posted 1 year ago on 11 Mar 2011 23:48 #
Anwer Kamal
Member

Now working.
Thank you,الله خوش رکھے اور اپنی امان میں رکھے آمین

Posted 1 year ago on 12 Mar 2011 0:12 #
d0ct0r
Member

Seriously this PPP govt in sindh along with MQMized terrorist are causing serious damage to sindh and especially Karachi by closing and shutting it down every other day on one pretext or another.

Some time its urs of shah lateef,abdullah shah gazi,next its birthday,death anniversary of Bhuttos.Marriage/divorce of Altaf,Shahdat of BB or clash between bhathakhors or Sunni tehreek's milad,rabiul awal,Chelum,Ashura,Soyem... they just need an excuse to shut this city down.. and these good for nothing lazy retards obviously don't have to worry as they don't move their butt and do get fed by bahatha money but these friggin' dorks don't think about business community's looses and daily wage earners plight,who were already struggling because of high inflation and now they're literally crushed and don't have any option other then to commit suicide or turn towards crime..

Since 12 March 2011 Karachi had been screwed up by recent wave of target killings and there were many voilent localized strikes enforced by MQMized criminals in different areas during different days,on 26th they had a major strike against 'target killings'.(MQM Altaf striking against target killings.. sounds funny :-)

Its ironic and halarious that today they announced support for the trader who were striking against them(MQM and other extortionists like sunni tehreek and liyari mafia) .

Too many holidays

By Qasim A. Moini

KARACHI: Everybody loves a holiday. Yet we in Pakistan, specifically in Sindh and thereby in Karachi, seem to enjoy taking days off perhaps more than any other nation on earth. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But when the economic and industrial hub of the country is regularly rocked by violence, rioting and strikes — some called by the government itself — does it make sense to add to the number of official holidays?

In 2010 there were nearly 20 holidays observed in Sindh. These include holidays announced by the federal and Sindh governments to mark religious as well as national and cultural events. Holidays announced by the city government have not been added to this total. While there can be no argument against observing holidays like Eid or Independence Day, does it make sense to take days off, for example, to celebrate Allama Iqbal’s birth or to express solidarity with our Kashmiri brethren?

In a similar vein, it is difficult to understand why the Sindh government has announced a holiday on the occasion of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s death anniversary, which falls on April 4. Though a closed holiday has been observed in the province in the past to observe ZAB’s death, it is fair to ask if taking a day off is the best way to mark the death of the iconic politician.

Taking so many days off has a particularly negative effect on business and education. Only last week the city practically shut down to watch the Pakistan-India World Cup semi-final. Whereas the federal government had announced a half-day’s holiday, the Sindh government went a step ahead and in a fit of generosity decided that the people of Sindh should enjoy the whole day off. Fair enough. But is being so liberal with announcing holidays conducive to encouraging productivity, especially in a scenario where unannounced shut-downs are common in the city due to a breakdown in law and order?

Business is not exactly booming. High crime, a volatile law and order situation and a generally grim economic climate have driven away investment. The government largely shoulders the blame for its failure to check crime and keep the peace. Every time there is a terrorist attack, sectarian or ethnic violence breaks out, targeted killings spike or any other destabilising event occurs in Karachi, the city shuts down, sometimes for more than a day, which results in near zero productivity. Strikes — official or unofficial — also bring the wheels of commerce to a grinding halt and shake investors’ confidence. Losses stemming from one day’s suspension of business in Karachi are said to come to around Rs4-5 billion.

Poor law and order and the aforementioned shut-downs have also had a decimating effect on the city’s educational institutions. Looking at figures from 2009, students in the city’s public colleges, for example, struggled to complete their academic calendar due to the number of announced and unannounced holidays. When violence breaks out in the city it is not uncommon for educational institutions ranging from primary schools to the University of Karachi to announce they will remain closed for the day for the safety of their students.

Factor in the number of holidays which can be avoided, and we come to the realisation that we are playing with our children’s future by making a mockery of the academic calendar. Children in many institutions often have to come in on Saturdays to complete course work or make up the number of missed days which is, obviously, not a welcome proposition.

When all of the above is considered, the government must seriously reflect on the need for so many holidays. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a politician of international stature. Rather than calling for a day off, why doesn’t the ruling party instead organise seminars and workshops to highlight Mr Bhutto’s achievements. Similarly, instead of announcing a holiday on Iqbal’s birthday or the urs of Shah Latif, why aren’t these days used to introduce the younger generation to the Poet of the East’s legendary verses, or introduce the uninitiated to Shah’s sublime kalaam.

One feels the suspension of official business does little to highlight the personalities supposedly being honoured by the holiday, as most people use such holidays to catch up on some sleep or go on an outing with the family. Interestingly, in one of Shah Latif’s verses the poet-sage of Sindh urges us to “…march on, there is no time to rest…”. The Sindh government appears to believe in the opposite: there’s plenty of time for rest!

If we want to progress economically and socially, shouldn’t the state emphasise hard work and industriousness? Holidays are fine, but we are hardly in a state to enjoy so many.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/03/too-many-holidays-3.html

Posted 1 year ago on 05 Apr 2011 21:11 #
d0ct0r
Member

Holidays and holidays

ACCORDING to government calendars, there are about 16 statutory national holidays, besides additional five to six being provincial or officially-observed local holidays.

In centres of education (though not necessary of constructive learning) summer and winter scholastic vacations add on another 30 to 45 days.

Largely across the board there is ‘casual’ leave which, depending on the ‘casual’ nature of the organisation, can be limited to 10 days or can ‘casually’ stretch to over 30.

These breaks do not include weekends which take off at least another 52, if not 104 days.

Thus, actual working days can vary from 150 to 230-odd annually.

To this we must add days lost by Act of Man in deliberately ensuring that we come as close to a standstill as possible. The Almighty really has his work cut out for him.

As I recall, in the eight months from July last year to date my centre of education has probably stayed open and been variably functional, by God’s good grace, for considerably less than 100 odd days.

With three months more to go and with the generally prevalent strong will and determination of our people to work as little as humanly possible, I do not think we shall work more than another 35 days in the remaining minimal 60 available working days.

Like my governor and chief minister I am not entirely a daily wage earner, so I am not terribly pushed by the regular holidays, as for the semifinals, that come like flatulence possibly after a hearty meal of spicy ‘nihari’.

However, with a daily diminishing purchasing power of my rupee and without the seemingly inexhaustible sources of income that fuel our leaders’ excesses, I fear I shall have to work till I die, which, in Karachi especially, can come sooner than I would
care, just to pay my electricity bills and put food on the table.

Most of the nation, certainly Karachi, seems to be quite happy with our average of 3.5 full working days a week.

May I request my leaders to declare statutory working days so we, the children of variably lesser gods, will know how much more corruption and tax evasion we have to add to our various services just to stay afloat.

DR MERVYN HOSEIN
Karachi

http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/08/holidays-and-holidays.html

Posted 1 year ago on 08 Apr 2011 23:05 #
d0ct0r
Member

Another strike,another shut down by MQMized criminals. City and country incurred business loss of Billions. Almost 100 lives are being lost each week and bhathakhors(Extortionists) have already made lives of businessmen miserable and to rub salt on their wounds these opportunist MQMized criminals called for strike making businessmen and public suffer more during final days of Ramzan(peak Eid Season).

Economy suffers Rs15b loss  due to strike

KARACHI — Pakistan’s economy, already facing severe difficulties, suffered a loss of around Rs15 billion on Tuesday due to a complete shutdown of Karachi and other major cities of Sindh province.

This was claimed by the representatives of industrialists and traders who said that non-availability of transport severely affected exports and business in other parts of the country. Manufacturing and trading activities in Karachi contribute around Rs25 billion daily to the GDP and Rs4 billion to the national revenue.

“More than 80 per cent of industrial units out of more than 20,000 were closed on Tuesday in the city due to absence of public and private transport,” said Khalid Tawab, an official of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).

He also claimed that the closure of plants and factories across the city caused an estimated loss of about Rs12 billion to industrialists, while the national exchequer lost Rs3 billion in revenues.

Chairman of All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Atiq Mir said one-day closure of markets and small businesses caused a loss of over Rs3 billion and the worst-affected were more than three million daily wage workers. “Losses to the traders due to lack of sales and the violence are around Rs12 billion. There has been a 50 per cent drop in sales during Ramadhan,” he added.

Meanwhile, the business community of Karachi will give a call for a shutterdown immediately after Eid Al Fitr if kidnapping for ransom continued in the city.

“We will wait for the government’s response in the last days of Ramadan. If the authorities fail to improve the situation the business leaders will decide after Eid bout the call,” warned Senator Haji Ghulam Ali, of FPCCI.

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Karachi’s second shutdown in less than two weeks

KARACHI, Aug 23: The city experienced a second shutdown in less than two weeks as traders, transporters and fuel station owners kept their businesses closed on Tuesday after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced that the party would observe a ‘day of mourning’ to condemn the recent killings.

However, unlike past shutdowns, the daylong closure did not witness any major incident of violence or arson attack. The five
bodies found in different areas were not linked with the closure, according to police.

Only on Aug 13, a ‘shutter-down strike’ called mainly by nationalist parties against the restoration of the local body system of 2001 had paralysed the city life.

During the day, roads remained deserted in the absence of public transport and due to the closure of fuel stations and markets, but commercial activities resumed just before sunset when traders announced that they would keep their businesses
open till Sehri to facilitate Eid shopping.

“We kept our business closed in fact for both reasons —security and to condemn the recent wave of violence,” said Siddiq Memon, the president of the Karachi Traders Action Committee.

“All the markets across the city remained closed the whole day. A few resumed activities an hour before sunset, which were joined by all major commercial centres in every district of the city.”

Karachi Transport Ittehad president Irshad Bokhari said transporters kept their vehicles off the streets till Iftar. “There was no advice from our end but when transporters witnessed that the situation turned normal, they brought buses on the roads after sunset,” he added.

The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association, which had announced that they would keep businesses closed after the MQM shutdown call, also came up with similar views.

“A few CNG stations resumed their activities just before sunset. Most petrol pumps and CNG stations, however, have resumed their operations after sunset,” said a senior association member.

Earlier during the day, attendance at schools, colleges and major universities remained thin as most parents preferred not to send their wards to the educational institutions due to security reasons.

While the Sindh education department had announced that public and private schools as well as colleges in the city would stay open, a couple of private schools’ associations, including the All-Private Schools Management Association, had announced that private schools in the city would remain closed on Tuesday.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/08/24/karachis-second-shutdown-in-less-than-two-weeks.html

Posted 9 months ago on 25 Aug 2011 0:49 #