No change in traders strike call, confirms KCCI president

President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Muhammad Javed Bilwani, has confirmed that the nationwide shutter-down strike will take place as scheduled on July 19.

He was responding to the rumours that the strike had been cancelled or postponed.

KCCI president clarified that the strike has neither been postponed nor cancelled.

Bilwani stated that any decision regarding deferment or cancellation of the strike would only be made in consultation with chambers of commerce from all four provinces.

He dismissed circulating rumors as misleading, adding that those spreading such misinformation do not have the interests of the business community at heart.

He urged traders, shopkeepers, and industrialists across the country to play an active and unified role in ensuring the success of the strike.

The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) had called the strike in protest against five key measures incorporated into the federal budget for the current fiscal year, along with 32 anomalies in the Finance Act.

KCCI opposes Sections 37A and 37B of the Finance Act, which, it claims, grant the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) arbitrary arrest powers.

It also objects to Section 21(S), which imposes harsh penalties on cash transactions of Rs200,000 or more; mandatory digital invoicing under SRO 709; and the imposition of E-Bilty under Section 40.