A single day’s closure on account of strike or violence in the country results in the loss of at least Rs100 billion in terms of production/sales/revenue, which multiplies if property and vehicles are burned or damaged. The losses suffered by the government or businessmen are usually recovered in some time but those who lose their lifetime assets/properties like vehicles or shops suffer a greater blow as many of them lose their sole source of income and are devastated.

Mansoor Ahmed lost his vehicle in the recent violence. He had bought a minibus worth Rs800,000 on instalment basis, for which he had sold his house in New Karachi for Rs1m rupees. He used to earn Rs5,000-10,000 per month after deducting other expenses, but after his vehicle was torched last month he is left with no source of income.

“I am not in a position to purchase another vehicle, even on instalment basis,” says Mansoor, who now lives on rent with his brothers. He fears an uncertain future as he cannot even renovate the burnt vehicle due to high cost involved.

Iftikhar Ahmed, another minibus driver recalls that during the recent spate of violence some people threw chemicals on his minibus which turned the vehicle into a skeleton and caused serious burn wounds on his legs as he was getting off the bus; thankfully all the passengers had been off loaded.

A father of four school-going children, Ahmed earned Rs400-500 but now he is facing severe problems in managing even Rs250 per day for the treatment of his wounds. Due to the serious nature of his wounds he cannot do anything other than driving.

Aamir Raza, who looks after the operational system of W-11 route, says that whenever hard times come “we manage some money to resolve the financial woes as well as food crisis. But for how many people can we manage financial help as the incidents of setting vehicles on fire by unscrupulous elements is rising day by day”, he asks.

The number of minibuses in the city has dwindled to 160 from 200-250 a few months back. In the last one month around 25 vehicles have been turned into school vans, private transport, etc. by their owners, he shares.

“It is hard to think about refurbishing a burnt vehicle as it costs Rs400,000-500,000 and hardly any transporter takes the risk of doing so in these uncertain times,” Aamir says. “We request the government to provide compensation for the burnt vehicles so that the owners could at least begin some other business,” he says, adding that operators also face problems when the police do not register FIRs of burnt vehicles. Besides, the police take away their vehicles to block the roads, resulting in many vehicles being torched by mobs.

Mohammad Raza and Mr Arshad recall the burning of eight out of 33 shops in the KMC Cane Furniture Market at Queens Road (M.T. Khan Road) last year, causing a loss of Rs10 m. Out of the eight, four shops are almost completely closed since then, while other shopkeepers have reduced the furniture in view of the rising tension in the city.

“We are surviving on old customers’ orders”, they say, adding that only 11 owners are operating their business now. The shopkeepers help out each other as many of them are becoming unable to pay their children’s school fees.

“We have approached the Sindh chief minister to get compensation for burnt shops but so far nothing has been done by the government,” they say.

President Karachi Taxi, Motor Rickshaw and Yellow Cab Owners Association, Hafizul Haq Hassan Zai, says that around 70-80 vehicles have been torched in various acts of violence in the last four to five years and the owners did not receive any compensation.

“A lingering fear hovers over the minds of people that they might lose their source of livelihood in any untoward incident or public outcry over anything,” he says.