KARACHI: City life remained completely suspended on Thursday on a ‘shutterdown strike’ call by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) against the ‘extrajudicial killing’ of its senior worker that largely remained peaceful except an arson attack on a truck in Korangi, where police claimed to have arrested three suspected arsonists.

The only violent incident was reported in Korangi 2½ where a truck carrying wooden stuff was intercepted and set on fire by three young motorcyclists. The area police said a police patrol timely intervened and arrested all the three ‘miscreants’ when they were trying to escape.

“They have been identified as Khan Mohammad, Shahid and Kamran,” said Korangi SP Junaid Sheikh.

“They were caught red-handed when they were trying to speed away after setting the truck on fire. Our patrolling team responded timely, arrested the three suspects and called a fire tender that saved the truck from complete destruction.

“The three suspects have been booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Investigations are on and their political association has yet to be determined.”

Meanwhile, commercial activities across the city remained suspended, with fuel stations shut and public transport off the road during the day. Most schools, colleges and universities also remained closed on the call of two private schools management associations.

The Sindh government had announced that all offices and educational centres would remain open for the day but attendance at offices remained thin apparently due to security concerns and want of public transport.

It was the message from chief of the opposition party Altaf Hussain expressing ‘thanks’ to Karachiites ‘for their support to its call’ and his ‘appeal’ to traders and transporters to return to their work that gave them confidence to resume business activities after 4pm. Subsequently, shops, markets and fuel stations started reopening in the evening.

The businesses were abruptly closed on Wednesday evening shortly after the body of MQM senior worker Sohail Ahmed was identified at the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth.

Mr Ahmed was found shot dead on Tuesday in the Mochko area.

“Following their [MQM’s] announcement on Wednesday evening for strike, a large number of transporters stopped operating buses,” said a senior member of the Karachi Transport Ittehad. “The transport was almost nowhere till 4pm on Thursday and it started appearing on roads after the MQM called off the strike in the evening. You would not have seen many buses on the roads, as several transporters avoided operating buses on the day of strike even after it was called off.”

Similar views were shared by Karachi Tajir Ittehad’s Ateeq Meer, who said the party announcement helped traders to resume retail business but the wholesale markets and major commercial centres remained closed.

“All markets — both wholesale and retail — remained closed across the city,” he said.

“However, in the evening when the MQM called off the strike it helped retail markets and business centres in residential areas to resume their activities. As the wholesale markets and major commercial centres begin their activities early morning and their operations are run by a large number of sales and other staff who were unable to reach their workplace, they remained closed.”

Fuel stations in all the districts of Karachi reopened in the evening after remaining shut since early hours of Thursday as per announcement of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association following the MQM ‘peaceful strike appeal’.

Meanwhile, MQM worker Mohammad Sohail was laid to rest in Society Qabristan after the funeral near his home, off Shahrah-i-Quaideen.

He is survived by a widow, two sons and a daughter.

A large number of MQM leaders, workers and area people offered his funeral prayers led by Senator Maulana Tanveer-ul-Haq Thanvi.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2015

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