KARACHI: Karachi Tajir Action Committee (KTAC) set up a “hunger strike camp” at main Lighthouse, M.A. Jinnah Road, at 8am on Thursday till an indefinite period to protest against “discrimination” of the Sindh government against Karachi and Hyderabad over lockdowns in comparison to other parts of Sindh.

General secretary of All City Tajir Ittehad Association (ACTIA) Mohammed Ahmed Shamsi said with the backing of the city’s traders, the camp had been set up to protest against the Sindh government’s “hostile” attitude towards Karachi and Hyderabad for forcefully imposing two weekly market closures (Fridays and Sundays) in comparison to one weekly holiday in other parts of Sindh.

The timing of closing the markets and shops in Karachi and Hyderabad is 8pm as against 10pm in various parts of the interior of Sindh, he said, claiming that the Sindh government had destroyed business activities in Karachi and Hyderabad.

Deputy convener, KTAC, Sharjeel Gopalani claimed that people of Karachi enjoyed an edge over Covid-19 vaccination than other cities of Sindh, but the port city had been facing early closure of business activities and two weekly holidays which was unjustified.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021