KARACHI, Nov 7: The dispute over meat prices between the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) and the Meat Merchant Welfare Association (MMWA) further intensified on Friday when butchers came out on the roads against the decision of the city government to retain the prices notified just before the advent of Ramazan.

Meat sellers kept their shops closed on Friday as part of an indefinite strike and recorded their anger by staging sit-ins and rallies.

Scores of butchers first gathered outside the city Nazim’s secretariat at Civic Centre and raised slogans against the city government authorities. They were demanding enforcement of Section 144 to prevent smuggling of animals.

They were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans like ‘Down with the City Nazim’ and ‘Stop Economic Assassination of Meat Sellers’. Security at Civic Centre was beefed up when the protesters reached there. However, no untoward incident took place.

After staying there for a few minutes, the protesters headed to Purani Numaish to join a bigger gathering which staged a sit-in after Friday prayers.

The protesters had blocked one side of M.A. Jinnah Road, which resulted in a traffic jam on one of the busiest thoroughfare of the city. Vehicles had to use service roads and a large number of them were seen stranded.

The protesters kept the road blocked for quite a while. When MMWA office-bearers were contacted to get their view on the situation, Mairaj Qureshi, chairman of the MMWA, said the protest aimed to draw the authorities’ attention to meat sellers’ miseries caused by the city government’s decision to retain the prices notified before Ramazan.

He said that instead of enforcing Section 144 to prevent smuggling of animals from the city, the authorities had taken a unilateral decision which was detrimental to the business. He added that the issue of animal smuggling had been brought to the government’s notice long ago.

The city government authorities, when contacted, termed the protest a pressure tactic. EDO enterprise and investment promotion, Raeesuddin Paracha, said the decision had been taken in the larger interest of the people, and added that meat sellers would not be able to pressurize the city government by using such tactics.

He further said that the problem caused by the strike would be solved with the start, in a few days, of meat supply from a private company.