KARACHI, Feb 16: Various transport associations, trade bodies and business concerns have extended their support to the Pasban’s call for strike on Friday in protest against the publication of blasphemous sketches by certain European newspapers.

In a statement, the Pasban had called for the closure of all educational institutions, shops, offices, markets and transport. Transporters, traders, political parties and social organizations of the city have assured Pasban of their full participation in the strike, according to a statement issued by the organization on Thursday.

According to Pasban, those who have endorsed the strike call are President of the Karachi Transport Ittehad Irshad Bukhari, President of the Karachi Electronic Market Association Abdul Waheed Memon, Traders representative Imran Baghpati, President of the Anjuman Naujawanan-i-Islam Tariq Mehboob, representative of the Karachi Hindu Community Babu Puna, Chairman of ABAD Hafizur Rehman Butt, President of the All Sindh Private Schools Management Association Syed Khalid Shah, Amir of Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadees Hafiz Abdul Rehman, Pakistan Cloth Merchant Association’s Ahmed Chinoi, Chairman of the All Clifton Defence Market Association Ali Akbar Rana, President of the Alliance of Market Associations Atiq Mir, President of Aalami Majlis Khatm-i-Nabuwwat Maulana Saeed Ahmed Jalalpuri, President of the All Pakistan Marriage Halls Association Anwar Azam, President of the Bantva Memon Jamaat Jaffar Koria, Pakistan Iron and Steel Merchant Association’s Haji Ghulam Mohammad, Chairman of the Karachi Goods Transport Association Malick Riaz Husain, President of the Pakistan Poultry Association Mohammad Hussain Patel, Chairman of the PPI Malick Ayub, Chairman of the Landhi Association of Trade and Industry Shahbaz Ali Malick, President of the All-Karachi Pak Hosiery Manufacturing Association Yousuf Bin Ayub, President of the Karachi Estate Agencies Association Mohammad Ali Mahenti, President of the Rex Centre Market Samand Khan, Victoria Market’s Abdullah Husain, President of the Boulton Market Trade Association Asif Rasheed and President of the Pakistan Kiryana Merchants Association Haji Usman.

The Karachi Transport Ittehad has said that it will keep all its public transport vehicles off the roads on Friday.

The Transport Ittehad has asked all its members and other transporters to fully participate in the strike. It has also urged people not attack any vehicle if found plying. Instead, it advised, the driver be asked to park the vehicle for the day.

The National Transport Ittehad Karachi, in a separate statement, endorsed the strike call. Saleem Khan Bangash of the NTI said that all buses, minibuses, coaches, rickshaws, taxis, goods transport means and inter-provincial transport would remain off the road.