SUKKUR, May 2: A partial strike was observed here on Thursday on the call of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement as over 40 activists of the party were arrested to foil the strike.

The crackdown against the Muttahida activists began on Wednesday midnight and continued till Thursday morning.

Police conducted raids at the Muttahida-dominated areas of the city and picked up the party activists.

Tight security arrangements were made in the city and heavy deployment of police in different commercial areas was observed. Police patrolling was also intensified throughout the day but no untoward incident was reported.

However, partial strike were observed here while there was no response to the strike call in Ghotki, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and other parts of upper Sindh except Pano Aqil, Sukkur district, and Thul, Jacobabad district, where partial strike was observed.

The major commercial areas of Sukkur, including Frere Road, Dhak Road, Miani Road, Jinnah Chowk, Shahi Bazaar, Shaheed Gunj, Sarafa Bazaar, Anaj Mandi and Station Road, remained closed throughout the day.

However, other parts of the city which are dominated by the PPP remained opened throughout the day.

No participation of the activists of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz was observed.

Those arrested include Atif Jamil, Mohammad Ahmed, Ahmed Ali, Abdul Aziz Khokhar, Mohammad Bashir Abbasi, Nizamuddin, Rehmatullah, Ghulam Mustufa, Fareed Ahmed and Mohammad Atif.

The strike call was given by the Muttahida in protest against the double murder of its former senator Mustufa Kamal and former MNA Dr Nishat, who were killed in Karachi last week.