KARACHI: Commercial activities in Karachi were at a standstill on Wednesday after Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain was taken into custody the previous day for interrogation in the UK, DawnNews reported.

Roads wore a deserted look and public transport was scant. Petrol pump stations and shops were also closed.

A large number of MQM workers, members of the party’s Rabita Committee and members of Sindh and National Assemblies participated in the sit-in protest at Karachi’s Numaish Chowrangi.

The protest began at 7pm yesterday evening and the protesters continued with their protest this morning. They vowed to continue with the protest unless they heard Hussain's voice.

MQM workers in other cities of Pakistan also staged protests against the arrest of the MQM chief.

Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) President Arshad Bukhari said the association would review the law and order situation in the city before deciding whether to run public transport services.

Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP), Karachi University (KU), Federal Urdu University for Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast), Jinnah University for Women have postponed all examinations scheduled for today.

The city had descended into chaos and panic as soon as the news of Hussain’s arrest came Tuesday afternoon.

Within minutes of the news, panicked shop-keepers and market stall owners rushed to close their businesses for fear of violence, residents said.