HYDERABAD: Saturday saw closure of almost all major business, trade and commercial concerns across the interior of Sindh on a call given by the business community and all but a few organisations of traders.

The nationwide strike was observed against imposition of withholding tax on each bank transaction valued above Rs50,000 to be made by non-filers of tax returns.

Office-bearers and members of various chambers of commerce & industries and traders’ organisations held rallies and demonstrations in all small and big towns raising slogans against the levy of the tax and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) and nearly all local trade organisations joined the protest but keeping their businesses in the city closed.

HCCI senior vice president Turab Ali Khoja said the chamber would respond positively to all protest calls against the tax.In Mirpurkhas, a complete shutterdown was observed across the district on Saturday in response to the call for protest against the tax.

No offices, shops and other outlets in Shahi Bazaar, Resham Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar, Fakir Ka Pir, Cloth Market, Jama Cloth Market, Latifabad-8, Gul Centre, Chandni, Station Road, Chutti Gitti, Tilak Incline, Anaj Mandi, Hali Road, Gari Khata and Khokhar Mohalla were opened on Saturday. However, a few markets and shops in different parts of the city remained open as usual.

Anjuman-i-Tajran Hyderabad district president Saleem Hussain Vohra said that his organisation observed the strike because small traders were the worst-affected by the unfair decision. He announced support for the next such strike on a call given by the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad for August 5 over the same issue.

The strike call given by the business community and traders organisations for upper Sindh districts of Sukkur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Khair­pur, Kandhkot Kashmore and Ghotki was by and large ignored as a partial shutterdown was observed in Sukkur city and a complete closure in Jacobabad city.

However, rallies against imposition of tax on bank transactions were held in several small and big cities and towns, including Sukkur, Jacobabad and Daharki.

Most main bazaars and markets, including Shahi Bazaar, Bhitai Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar, Cloth Market, Bano Bazaar and Ladies Bazaar did not open on Saturday.

Sukkur Chamber of Commerce & Industry Mir Ahmed Ali Brohi and other leaders spoke to the participants in a rally taken out in Sukkur. They said the business community and traders across the country had rejected the tax with one voice and, as such, it must be withdrawn.

Organised by the All Pakistan Organisation of Small Trade and Cottage Industry, the rally passed through different roads and ended at the Clock Tower roundabout. The participants also held a demonstration outside the local press club, where their leaders including Haji Haroon Memon, Haji Abdul Mateen Bandhani, Mohammed Tahir Khan and Maulana Usman Faizi spoke to them.

The Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Federation of Trade Associations and other organisations of local traders responded positively to the strike call given for Saturday.

LCCI president Khair Mohammed Shaikh and small traders’ leader Tariq Nazeer rejected the imposition of the new tax saying that it would severely hamper the business and trade activities in the country.

They warned that the decision would give a boost to illegal trade and transactions, besides badly affecting tax recovery.

The Anjuman-i-Tajiran Mirpurkhas took out a rally from Market Chowk and held a demonstration outside the local press club.

The participants carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the finance minister and the levy of the tax raised slogans for immediate reversal of the decision.A shutdown was observed and similar rallies were taken out in the district’s other towns including Digri, Mirwah Gorchani, Tando Jan Mohammed, Naokot and Kot Ghulam Mohammed.

A complete shutterdown was observed across Naushahro Feroze district on Saturday with all bazaars, markets, shopping malls and offices staying shut in Naushahro Feroze city, Moro, Bhiriya City, Bhiria Road, Padidan, Darya Khan Marri, Tharoshah, Kandiaro, Halani, Kotri Kabir, Khan Wahan, Mehrabpur and other towns.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2015

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