All markets, bazaars, shops and tuition centres pulled down shutters within minutes and traffic disappeared from the roads after rumours that STPP Chief Dr Qadir Magsi had been killed in Karachi. - Dawn photo

HYDERABAD The Wednesday's abrupt closure of all main business centres within minutes and incidents of stampede in the wake of rumour that Dr Qadir Magsi had been killed serve as grim reminders of the fear people have been living with since Dec 27, 2007 riots.

It also shows that people have lost faith in the law enforcers who have a sizable presence in the city and mostly prefer to remain out of sight on such days. They never come forward to build confidence and earn people's respect.

Nervous and panicky shopkeepers, shoppers, commuters and motorists were running in all directions and it was chaos all around after rumours spread like wildfire that Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party leader Dr Qadir Magsi had been killed in Karachi.

All markets, bazaars, shops and tuition centres pulled down shutters within minutes and traffic disappeared from the roads.

This reaction to unconfirmed rumours has almost been the same after Dec 27.

In past, it would take violence, aerial firing and torching of vehicles to make a call for strike effective but nowadays a rumour can do it.

After large-scale disturbances and violence that hit almost all parts of Sindh, particularly Hyderabad, following assassination of Benazir Bhutto, people have stopped taking things lightly. They rush home immediately after pulling down shutters as soon as they hear such a rumour.

The city witnessed a similar situation when such a rumour about assassination of Maulana Fazalur Rehman made the rounds, despite the fact that JUI-F did not have any considerable political following in Hyderabad.

Raza Baloch, an elderly shopkeeper, saw some 'forces' behind such rumours 'who want to keep Sindh disturbed'.

While a large number of police personnel were busy at the bypass keeping it open for traffic after arrests of STP activists, there was no police force in the city.

Even Rangers based in main city centre like Bilawal hostel in Hirabad were nowhere to be seen though the two law-enforcement agencies conducted a joint flag march in the evening. Hyderabad DPO Javed Alam Odho attributed people's fear to persistent threat of terror and said that people were in no mood to run risks for their property.

Business activities in bazaars remained insipid on Thursday as most people were under the impression that a strike would be observed in protest against Wednesday's incidents in Karachi.