Pakistani traders strike countrywide against high inflation and utility bills

By ZARAR KHAN
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani traders have staged strikes across the country against the soaring cost of living, including higher fuel and utility bills and record depreciation of the rupee against the dollar. The traders on Saturday pulled their shutters down across the country, while protesters burned tires in anger. The country’s commercial and economic hub, Karachi, was almost completely closed and vehicular traffic thin on roads, Likewise Lahore was completely closed while other towns and cities responded partially to the strike call. A lifeline bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund required Pakistan to reduce subsidies that had been in place to cushion the impact of rising living costs.