KARACHI: The shutdown and subsequent blockade of all major roads by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday (Dec 12) resulted in 50 percent lower industrial and commercial activities, causing huge losses to the businessmen of the financial hub of the country.
According to reports and background talks with leading industrialists and traders, the blockade of main arteries adversely affected industrial and commercial activities, lowering almost 50 percent of the industrial production.
Since all the major arteries of the city were closed, most of the workers and industrial staff could not make to their workplaces which resulted in at least 50 percent drop in industrial output.
It is to be noted that leading including FPCCI and KCCI have urged all the political parties to resolve all issue through dialogue. They also opposed protests and strike that, they said, affect the trade activities, causing a negative impact on the national economy.
They declared that they were neither against, not in favour of any political party, rather they want all the political parties to resolve their disputes peacefully to avoid losses to the economy.
Commenting on the Friday’s shutdown, the SITE Association of Industry (SAI) and Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) claimed that the strike resulted in a low industrial output.
They said that 50% of industrial activity in could not take place in the wake of the strike call. The main reason for the low industrial activity was the absence of managerial staff from factories who could not reach their offices.
According to reports, Karachi ships almost half of the country’s exports and a one-day closure is equal to Rs3.3 billion loss in exports.
The businessmen said that sit-ins were damaging trade activities in major cities across the country, adding that protests affected a wider section of society including employees, daily-wage earners, transporters and other segments.
