KARACHI: Six political and religious parties on Wednesday announced their support for the countrywide strike call given by All-Pakistan Organisation of Small Traders and Cottage Industries for Aug 1 against the imposition of withholding tax on bank transactions.

The parties will also back the traders in their protest against the K-Electric and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board over electricity and water crises.

This was announced at a conference attended by traders and political and religious party leaders including Najme Alam of Pakistan Peoples Party, Mir Nawaz Khan Marwat of Pakistan Muslim League, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman and Yunus Barai of Jamaat-i-Islami, Siddique Rathore of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam- Noorani, Shabbir Abu Talib of Jamiat Ulem-i-Pakistan and Aslam Ghauri of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan.

The conference, which was held under the auspices of the small traders and cottage industries body, was presided over by its general secretary Mehboob Azam.

In his presidential remarks, Mr Azam said they were in close contact with traders’ bodies in other cities. He said it was their unanimous decision to observe a complete shutdown across the country on Aug 1.

If the government did not meet their demands, they would observe a three-day strike before going on a strike for an indefinite period as was observed against the imposition of general sales tax.

He said the traders rejected the withholding tax as it would cause a 30 per cent increase in prices. He said the tax was imposed on the direction of the International Monetary Fund. He said the federal finance minister was further complicating the issue by forming committees.

Mr Azam said the Aug 1 strike would also be a referendum against the anti-people policies of the government, K-Electric and the KWSB.

He said the traders community had good expectations from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who himself was a businessman, but the traders had been suffering most during the Nawaz government.

Earlier welcoming the participants in the conference, president of the small traders and cottage industries organisation Mehmood Hamid demanded an end to IMF sessions in Duabi and handing over control of K-Electric to the army and sale of water through tankers be declared a cognizable crime.

He demanded an FIR be lodged against K-Electric over the loss of life from heatstroke due to prolonged power breakdowns and compensation be paid to the heirs of the heatstroke victims.

Extending full support of his party to the traders, PPP leader Najme Alam said the K-Electric had become a curse, making life of citizens miserable. About water crisis, he said, the PPP government had planned that Karachi received additional 65 million gallon a day water to meet its needs.

He said the withholding tax would only promote black economy which would be disastrous for the country’s economy.

Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman and Yunus Barai of the JI said it seemed that the rulers had been pursuing two different policies — one for 200 million Pakistanis and the other for their own family members who were being provided facilities to make investment in Dubai and elsewhere abroad.

The JI leaders held the PPP and the MQM hand in glove with the K-Electric company in its loot and plunder for the past 10 years. They said the K-Electric management, which owed Rs100 billion to banks, was trying to get rid of the company. He said they would not be allowed to just walk away without being made accountable.

Extending JUP support to the strike, Mohammad Siddique Rathore said traders, industrialists and common man were paying indirect taxes already on each item, while rulers and landlords were going scot free by paying nominal tax.

Aslam Ghauri of the JUI-F was of the opinion that the decision to impose the withholding tax would not be repealed without the countrywide shutdown.

PML leader Mir Nawaz Marwat said the people had been made to suffer for want of honest leadership despite the fact that the country was rich in natural resources.

Shabeer Abu Talib of the JUP said the oppressors in the country were becoming stronger as people had given up resistance against injustices.

Representatives of different traders associations Abdul Samad, Aslam Bhatti, Naseem Dehlavi, Babar Bangash, Shaukat Rabbani, Ayaz Motiwala, Shamim Naz and others termed the withholding tax an issue linked with the future of Pakistan. They also called for strict accountability of the rulers and making public the privatisation agreement of the then Karachi Electric Supply Corporation.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2015

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