HYDERABAD: Barring few areas of Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Matiari and Ghotki, complete strike was observed on Saturday in other districts of Sindh province on the call of banned Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM).

The JSMM had given a strike call against what it called the British government’s silence over Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain’s statement about division of the province.

JSMM chairman Shafi Burfat said in a statement on Friday that if the British government remained silent while its soil was used against Sindh then its interests in the province would be at stake.

Meanwhile, Nasim Nagar police have lodged a case against Burfat, JSMM vice-chariman Lala Aslam Pathan, Hafeez Pirzado, Raheel Rind and Murtaza Chandio under suspicion of being involved in cracker blasts across the province.

All main business and commercial centres, however, remained opened in Hyderabad city on Saturday.

Shops in district council and cantonment shopping centres were partially opened. Saddar bazaar remained partially closed. Shops in Khokhar Mohallah, Lajpat Road, Resham and Shahi Bazars remained opened.

There were no buyers but tower market was opened.

Qasimabad – the hub of nationalist parties - Bhittai town, Marvi Town, Bhittai Nagar, Citizen colony, remained completely closed. Thin traffic was seen across the city. No untoward incident was, however, reported.

Complete strike was observed in Sukkur, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Thatta, Badin, Thatta, Dadu, Jamshoro, Tando Mohammad Khan and Nawabshah, Kashmore and Jacobabad.

Police have picked-up several activists of JSMM and a case was lodged against five activists of JSMM in Qambar Shahdadkot. Raids were conducted in Sukkur on the homes of JSMM activists and some arrests were made. Their identities could however not be known.

Cases were being lodged in Hyderabad city where seven explosion of an improvised device were reported on Friday. One such cracker explosion was reported near Radio Pakistan on Saturday morning. However no one was injured.

DIG police Hyderabad range, Akram Naeem Bharoka suspended 11 SHOs of police stations of the range in the wake of cracker explosions reported in different areas on Friday night.

They included SHOs of City, Market, GOR, A-section, Nasim Naggar, A and B sections and Hali Road of Hyderabad district. SHOs of Dadu, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Kotri and Bhitshah police stations were also suspended for their negligence.

Around 44 suspects were arrested including 20 from Matiari, seven from Hyderabad, three each from Dadu and Jamshoro, two from Bhan Saeedabad area by police.

Complete strike was observed in Tando Mohammad Khan district – considered to be stronghold of JSMM cadre – where attendance in private offices remained thin. No untoward incident was reported.

No strike was observed in Matiari and Tando Allahyar district. Heavy deployment was made in Hala, Matiari and Saeedabad on filling stations. Bazars remained opened as well but with less number of customers.