Complete shutter-down will be observed on January 20 in protest against the 12 percent increase in power tariff, 18 percent in gas price, introduction of mini-budgets every month, and unannounced load shedding, and those who are opposing the strike are in fact agents of the administration and the government, and they are not loyal to the business community.

This was stated by Muhammad Shafiq and Muhammad Khalid while talking to newsmen at the token hunger strike camp at Chowk Old Sabzi Mandi. They threatened to launch a civil disobedience drive if their demands were not met. Traders also wore black armbands and displayed the banners inscribed with their demands. They also burnt their electricity bills. They observed three-hour 'token hunger strike', from 1100 to 1400 hours.

Muhammad Shafiq, Khalid Mehmood, Jafar Ali Shah, Salim Awan, Aziz-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Ayyub, Asghar Ali, Rafiq Ahmed and Iqbal Mubeen also joined the hunger strikers. Traders of Cantonment, headed by Nazir Ahmed, Multan Tajir Ittehad and Markazi Anjumn Tajiran have announced to boycott the strike call by some vested interests and said that their business would remain open on January 20 because traders community and the country cannot afford the agitation and strikes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010