KARACHI, June 1: Life in the metropolis came to a halt on Wednesday in response to the strike call made by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) in protest against the killing of local leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami, Monday’s suicide attack on a mosque and desecration of the Holy Quran in the Guantanamo Bay detention centre.

All major commercial centres, markets and shops remained closed and roads wore a deserted look as most of the public transport remained off the road.

In the afternoon, however, some shops in different localities were opened and a few public transport vehicles appeared on roads.

Most of the offices, bank branches and industrial units in the city remained closed.

Heavy contingents of police and Rangers were deployed across the city to cope with any eventuality. Police personnel using mobile vans and motorbikes kept on patrolling different areas whole the day while a number of temporary police pickets were set up in different localities to keep an eye on subversive elements.

City police chief Tariq Jamil said that no untoward incident relating to the strike was reported. The overall law and order situation, he added, was peaceful.

A visit to the different areas showed that all main markets and commercial centres remained closed. They included commercial centres in Saddar and Empress Market which wore a deserted look. The streets of Bohri Bazaar, otherwise crowded, were without people. Similarly was the situation in Express Market, Soldier Bazaar, Electronics Market, Zaibunnisa Street, Regal Chowk, Zainab Market, Tariq Road, Hyderi, KDA Market (Gulshan-i-Iqbal), as well as markets and bazaars in Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad and Federal B Area where no shop was open. Markets and shops in the old city areas of Lyari, Keamari and SITE did not open till the evening. Upcountry transport ferrying passengers and goods did not operate.

The strike appeared more affective in some parts of Lyari Town, mainly Khadda, Nawabad and Moosa Lane.

Most of the city’s transport operators kept their vehicles off the road in the morning hours and people were faced with great hardship in reaching their destination. However, a little number of buses, minibuses and coaches were seen plying in some localities. Many people, coming out of their homes to reach their offices had to return home. The number of private vehicles plying in the city also appeared thin.

Attendance in public and private organizations remained thin. The situation in all public sector universities was also no different. The HSC exams scheduled for the day had already been postponed while it happened to be the first day of summer vacation of schools and colleges.

Trading at the Fruit and Vegetable Market (New Sabzi Mandi) was badly affected by the strike. A member of market committee said that supplies from the interior of Sindh reached the mandi but the turnout of customers appeared quite low, hampering the trading activity badly.

The strike also affected port activity due to the non-availability of transport vehicles in adequate number.

In Gulistan-i-Jauhar, private vehicles were seen moving as normal although the public transport was missing. Some bakeries were opened early in the morning but closed after a few hours. Most petrol pumps in the area remained closed for most of the day.