The Karachi Cooperative Market traders staged protest Friday against the “non-supportive” approach of the Sindh government towards resolving their issues after a fire incident in the market. On November 14, more than 500 shops were gutted in a massive fire in the market.
The traders’ bodies took to the street in solidarity with the affectees and called out the Sindh government for not holding talks with them.
They demanded that the government resolve the issues being faced by the shop-owners since the fire incident. “We don’t have any option left but to march on Sindh CM House in order to get attention.”
They held placards inscribed with “Hum ko hamara haq do” [give us our rights], “Karachi yateem shahar nahi” [Karachi is not an orphan city] and “Hadsay ko 26 din guzar gaye koi daadrasi nahi hoi” [26 days have passed since the incident but no one is listening].
The Sindh government and Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry are not taking the matter seriously and it has created panic among the affected traders.
Karachi Cooperative Market President Muhammad Feroze said the KCCI officials assured the traders that they would arrange a meeting with the CM. However, there has been no development in those regards.
“We are giving them a deadline till Monday, if they fail to arrange a meeting with the chief minister, we will march to the CM house,” Feroze added.
No one from the Sindh government has visited the market since the incident or announced any relief package for the affected shop-owners.
The traders have tabled the following demands:
• Form a committee for evaluation of damages
• Announce a compensation package for the affected shop-owners
• Ensure free and fair investigation of the incident
• Bring the perpetrators in a court of law
It has been almost a month since the incident but no one bothered to come and express solidarity.
The traders are irked with the Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and said that he claims to be the “son of Karachi” but his party has not given any heed to the grievances of traders.
Rizwan Irfan, president Karachi Electronic Market, said the authorities should investigate the fire incident thoroughly, whether it took place accidentally or intentionally.
The traders of different organisations participated in the protest.
A fire erupted in the Cooperative Market in Karachi’s Saddar area on November 14, Sunday afternoon, engulfing the market and causing heavy financial losses.
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