A Shutter-Down Strike has been observed by the traders’ groups across the nation against the hike in the sales tax on 13th July Saturday.
 
Most of the major markets are closed in the big as well as small cities throughout the country. The Economic Hub of Pakistan, Karachi along with the Twin Cities (on the basis of strong social and economic links); Islamabad & Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Jacobabad, Tando Allahyar, Thatta, Sajawal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Abbottabad, Malakand, Swabi, Swat, and Lower Dir has kept most of their markets shutter downed.

The streets of the City of Lights, Karachi and other strike observed cities are silent and empty of the people due to the strike. The business communities have demanded the government to take its notice back for which makes the obligatory of presenting the CNIC card on the purchase of any goods over than Rs. 50,000. By this strike, basically, the traders’ aim is to pressurize the government to make a decision as per their will.
However, in this regard the Chairman FBR, Shabbar Zaidi stated in a press conference on Friday; a before the strike, that it is compulsory to put the condition of the CNIC to fix the massive budget deficiency that is being faced by the government of Pakistan on account of low tax revenue.
He further added that the government is willing to change and fix the tax equation within the country by fetching all the business communities under the tax net. Nationally, only about 47,000 business communities are registered for the Jurisdiction of the sales tax out of the total of about 381,000. And only about 17,000 trade units are dully paying their concerned takes, which seems very disappointing.
He additionally said that there is no stop with any gathering or relationship of dealers or industrialists however there is opposition since individuals would prefer not to go under the duty net. He, be that as it may, included they will think about recommendations from merchants while finishing the arrangement.
The markets of different cities that have participated in the strike call of the business units include,
Regal Market Saddar, Old City Area, Tariq Road, Korangi Market, Electronics Market, Sarafa Bazaar, Clifton, Hyderi Market, Cooperative Market, Aurangzeb Market, Plaza Market, & Akbar Road Market in Karachi, Shah Alam Market, Akbar Mandi, Hafeez Center, Anarkali, Abid Market, Karim Block, Moon Market, Mall Road, Hall Road, and Bedian Road in Lahore and Raza Bazar, Saddar, Murree Road, Bara Market, Moti Market, and Imperial Markets of Rawalpindi and in Islamabad F-10 Market, Aabpara, and Blue Area. Whereas, Khyber Bazaar, Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Pipal Mandi, and Shoba Bazaar in Rawalpindi also remained under the call of strike.
This strike has created a conflict among the trade groups themselves as not all of them were the part of the protest.
The basic trade unit the Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran had announced the strike but the All-City Tajir Ittihad, Tajir Action Committee, Car Showroom Owners, Azam Market, Urdu Bazar, and Jodia Bazar were opened respectively being against of the strike.
The common citizens especially the patients are being suffered as they are not able to get the medicines due to the strike. Hopefully, the strike will end up soon so that the people’s precious lives are safe and out of danger.
This protest is a huge challenge for the government of PTI because nationally there are hundreds of trade unit and millions of individual traders to participate in the retail sector. The closed markets will affect the budge at a great extent so the government has to be very keen to handle the situation to extend further.