KARACHI - Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that party will not withdraw its strike call against the power and water crisis in Karachi and peaceful strike would be observed on Friday (Today) across the city to condemn the injustice being carried out against Karachiites.

Prime Minister interference to resolve the issues has not brought any visible results and city is still witnessing prolonged loadshedding during hot weather.

Hafiz expressed these views while addressing a press conference at Idara-noor-ulhaq along with the other leaders of the party Karachi Chapters including, Birjees Ahmed, Usama Razi, Abdul Wahab, Saif Uddin Advocate and Rashid Qureshi.

The JI Karachi chief told the media men that party drive against the private power company is not halted and peaceful strike call to condemn the irregularities of authorities and government is part of JI‘s movement against the injustice.

He said that various religious and political parties has extended their support to JI‘s strike call whereas the traders community, transporter, labours organizations and others has also endorsed JI‘s call.

He said: “Karachi has witnessed the era of strikes in past but JI calls of peaceful strike is not aimed to disturb the peace of city. JI wants to resolve the people issues and has given a strike call to condemn the injustice and people from all walks of life will participate in the protest by halting their daily activities voluntary.”

Meanwhile, Karachi Bar Association (KBA) has endorsed the strike call given against prolonged loadshedding, water scarcity and other issues of the metropolis. The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had earlier given a strike call against the miseries of Karachiites.

In a statement issued here, the KBA general secretary Ashfaq Ali said that they fully endorsed ‘peaceful strike’. “The KBA stands with the people of Karachi and assures its full support on the issues being faced by them,” the press release read. Similarly All Pakistan Organization of Small and Cottage Industries has also extended complete support to strike call.

On the other hand, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Chairman Muhammad Atiq Mir rejecting the JI‘s strike call has announced that there would “No Strike” on Friday. Atiq Mir said that traders were already suffering decline in sale of Rs10 billion due to the prolonged and unscheduled electricity loadshedding and now they cannot afford to go for a shutdown strike to bear another loss of Rs3.5 billion in single day.

Furthermore, JUI-Fazal and JUP Karachi chapter leadership also endorsed JI‘s strike call over power and water crisis in city. The development came during meetings of JI‘s delegates with the both parties leadership separately. JUI-F leader Qari Usman and JUP leader Mustaqeem Noorani said that JI has taken the key step to condemn the injustice being carried out by the KE administration and KW&SB. Party support JI‘s strike call as peaceful protest is the way to register peoples complaints, they added.