Mention of the words ‘shutdown’ and ‘strike’ send a wave of uncertainty rippling across Karachi, and for good reason. As is often the case, such protests are accompanied by violence and bloodshed, as well as the disruption of daily routines and loss of livelihoods.

Luckily for residents of the metropolis, the PTI’s shutdown on Friday was a relatively peaceful and violence-free affair. Roads were indeed blocked by party workers at key points in the city while tyres were burnt at many spots.

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But compared to past protests in Karachi, and the recent unfortunate events in Faisalabad, the shutdown in the country’s financial hub passed off without incident. There are of course reasons for this.

Firstly, the PTI itself was in a restrained mood and seemed content to block roads from dawn to dusk to get its message across.

The realisation that the protest was taking place the day before Chehlum must have also led the party leadership to ensure that matters did not get out of hand at such a sensitive time. Secondly, the attitude of the PPP-led Sindh government was starkly different to what the PML-N administration in Punjab put on display in Faisalabad.

While workers from both the PTI and the N-League were riled up at that event, perhaps the ugly violence could have been avoided had the PML-N taken a less confrontational stance, especially when it was running both the provincial and federal governments.

And then, the MQM — arguably Karachi’s most powerful political force — also seemed content to let Imran Khan’s party have its day in the sun; in fact Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain defended the PTI’s “political and constitutional right” to protest.

While it is indeed the democratic right of all groups to stage peaceful protests, political and religious parties need to rethink the strategy of using shutdowns as an effective mode of protest.

Even when shutdowns are peaceful, as on Friday, the financial losses caused to the national economy by bringing life in major cities to a halt are considerable. And in case the demonstrations turn violent, the damage can be high both in terms of blood and treasure.

At the end of the day, blocking roads and suspending routine activities hits the common citizen the hardest. Hence protests must be planned in such a way that the message is conveyed to the intended recipients with the least inconvenience caused to the public at large.

Published in Dawn December 13th , 2014