KARACHI: All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI) on Tuesday announced to observe token shutter-down strike on Wednesday against extortion collection from traders, abduction for ransom and other increasing crimes in the city.

This was decided in a meeting of city traders presided over by AKTI chairman Atiq Mir. Traders threatened to hold three-day strike in next phase if government failed to adopt steps for restoring peace and providing protection to traders.

They demanded giving police and rangers a free hand to launch action against criminals and called for taking indiscriminate action against extortionists.

They said government should pay compensation of at least Rs 1 million to heirs of traders killed in targeted killings or non-payment of extortion.

Traders also appealed to Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani to visit Karachi and analyze the security situation and make rangers more functional.

The AKTI chairman also demanded that at least 10,000 police personnel be deployed in district South of Karachi, where the main markets of the city exist. He said traders were left with no choice but to launch protest movement in favour of their legal demands.

Mir said the Sindh government had lost good governance while criminals have made main markets of the city their strongholds.

He appealed to civil society members and other stake holders to support their strike.

Meanwhile, president wholesale chemist council of Pakistan M Atif Hanif also supported the strike call of the AKTI and decided to keep all wholesale medicine markets in the city closed on Wednesday.