KARACHI, Sept 4: Hundreds of
paramilitary Rangers and police guarded roads in Karachi to avert
violence on Saturday at the start of a strike called by the
opposition parties and traders. Rangers were patrolling the
mostly deserted main roads in armoured vehicles and police armed
with assault rifles were seen guarding street corners. Police said 10 vehicles were set afire overnight as tension increased ahead of the strike.
Traders are protesting a proposed general sales tax, and the opposition called the strike to protest the government's handling of affairs in Sindh province where direct rule was imposed to crack down on violence that killed over 800 people last year.
Opposition parties have rallied behind protests by Islamic groups to add weight to a "Sharif Out" campaign they have waged since he ordered guerrillas to leave strategic heights in the disputed Kashmir region in July under world pressure to head off a fourth Indo-Pakistani war.
Sharif has
played down the protests, saying they cannot reverse the huge
majority he won in February 1997 elections. The strike comes one day after hundreds of police delayed an anti-government rally in Karachi by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
Saturday's strike was called by traders to protest against the imposition of a 15 percent general sales tax, a demand from the International Monetary Fund as part of its loan programme for Pakistan. (Reuters)
Our Correspondents add: Reports reaching us from other major cities speak of an almost complete shutdown of commerce. Shops and offices are closed and streets are deserted. The only exceptions are Lahore and Islamabad, where some markets are partially open.
Significantly, there are no reports from any part of the country of any significant incidents of violence since this morning. (Bureau Report)