KARACHI: The supply of goods to and from Karachi has normalised to some extent after having remained disturbed in the last few days against the backdrop of PTI and PAT protest marches in the capital.
SITE Association of Industry (SAI) Chairman Younus Bashir told Dawn on Tuesday that goods movement from Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sahiwal etc, has normalised.
However, many industrialists, fearing any untoward incident in Islamabad, were still cautious whether to send their shipments to up-country.
Moreover, another sit-in by a religious party at the M.A. Jinnah Road in Karachi from Monday night has restricted movement of men and material within the city.
Traders, already perturbed over the situation unfolding in Islamabad, said the Karachi’s sit-in has made retailers, wholesalers and customers more worried.
Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Group (KWGG) Chairman Anis Majeed said that Tuesday saw 25 per cent decline in buyers’ arrival (retailers mainly) in main Dandia Bazar, the hub of essential commodities, due to closure of M.A. Jinnah Road.
He said that since Karachi, and even Sindh, has so far been calm amid lingering tension in the capital, the wholesale market has yet to see any panic-buying by retailers.
If the political situation gets alarming, retailers may lift edible items in huge quantities depending on consumers’ buying behaviour in the retail markets, he added.
Atiq Mir, president of Karachi Tajir Ittehad, said that only five to 10 per cent buyers turned up in the main markets. He said traders are highly worried for the last 10 to 12 days over deteriorating trading activities.
He said sit-in at the city’s main artery has created many problems in the free movement of transport, resulting in massive traffic jams in the nearby areas.
Farid Qureishi, general secretary of Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG), said consumers have been calm so far and they are not lifting essential goods in larger quantities. One reason for this may be that people are facing cash crunch for the few days because of the political turmoil.
Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014
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