KARACHI, Nov 1: Meat merchants have called-off their city-wide strike after lengthy discussion with the Naib Nazim of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), Tariq Hassan, at his residence late Friday night.

As per the decision taken at the meeting, mutton No.1 quality will now be sold at Rs170 per kg as against Rs150 previously fixed by the city government. The No.2 and 3 qualities will be available at Rs155 and Rs135 per kg respectively. The city government had recommended the rates as Rs140 and Rs120 per kg respectively. This means that a raise of Rs20 in No.1 quality and Rs15 in the other two qualities for one kilogramme of mutton has been agreed by the two sides.

Before the advent of Ramazan, mutton No.1 was selling at Rs180 to 200 per kg whereas quality No.2 and 3 were being retailed at Rs170 and Rs150 per kg respectively. Similarly, beef with bones was being sold at Rs110 and Rs100 per kg for quality No.1 and 2. The two sides agree to refix the prices at Rs90 and Rs80 per kg respectively, though the city government had earlier recommended Rs10 lesser than the new rates as against the pre-Ramazan rates of Rs110 and Rs100 per kg respectively.

Beef (big cow with bones) will now be available at Rs75 as against the CDGK’s recommended price of 65 per kg. It was available for Rs90 per kg before Ramazan.

The new rate of boneless beef has been fixed at Rs95 per kg, instead of the city government’s recommended price of Rs80 per kg, as compared to the pre-Ramazan rate of Rs110 per kg.

Meanwhile, a senior city government official, requesting anonymity, said Saturday evening: “the CDGK’s prices pertaining to meat and notified just before Ramazan are still applicable as no notification superseding the old one has yet been issued following the Friday night meeting.”

He categorically stated that the existing notification would remain in force till the issuance of the one with revised rates.

Mr Iqbal Qureishi, General Secretary of the Meat Merchants Welfare Association (MMWA), giving details of the negotiations with the Naib Nazim, said it was agreed that normal activity in meat markets would resume from Thursday, i.e. after meatless days, because a pause in animal supplies to cattle markets due to the strike had resulted in shortage of live animals.

He claimed that the Naib Nazim had also agreed to take up with the federal government the issue of animals and meat export on a large scale.

OBJECTION: Sources in the city government revealed that the manner in which negotiations between the two sides were arranged has caused a stir.