<p>Pakistan's business community on Saturday observed a shutter-down strike across the country to protest against the inflated electricity bills and rising inflation.</p>.<p>Right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and traders’ groups gave the call for protest and they got support from lawyers.</p>.<p>Commercial activities were halted in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar, as well as in other cities, while public transport was largely off the main roads.</p>.Pakistan court orders release of Imran Khan's party president Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.<p>In Karachi, the Tajir Action Committee (TAC) on Friday gave the government 72 hours to reduce high electricity bills and withdraw the recent hike in petrol prices.</p>.<p>It warned that if the government failed to fulfil its demands, there would be a prolonged strike of 10 days. TAC Convener Muhammad Rizwan said there was no compulsion on anyone to join the strike.</p>.<p>The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) supported the strike call. However, its President Mohammad Tariq Yousuf said large-scale industries were not part of the strike.</p>.<p>Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that the government was failing to read the writing on the wall.</p>.<p>"Out-of-box thinking is required to emerge from the economic crisis," he said.</p>.<p>The strike comes a day after Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that inflated bills were not a big issue and the government would address the problem.</p>.<p>“It is not a very serious issue, but political parties are in election mode and using it as a social cause,” he told journalists on Friday.</p>
<p>Pakistan's business community on Saturday observed a shutter-down strike across the country to protest against the inflated electricity bills and rising inflation.</p>.<p>Right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and traders’ groups gave the call for protest and they got support from lawyers.</p>.<p>Commercial activities were halted in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar, as well as in other cities, while public transport was largely off the main roads.</p>.Pakistan court orders release of Imran Khan's party president Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.<p>In Karachi, the Tajir Action Committee (TAC) on Friday gave the government 72 hours to reduce high electricity bills and withdraw the recent hike in petrol prices.</p>.<p>It warned that if the government failed to fulfil its demands, there would be a prolonged strike of 10 days. TAC Convener Muhammad Rizwan said there was no compulsion on anyone to join the strike.</p>.<p>The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) supported the strike call. However, its President Mohammad Tariq Yousuf said large-scale industries were not part of the strike.</p>.<p>Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that the government was failing to read the writing on the wall.</p>.<p>"Out-of-box thinking is required to emerge from the economic crisis," he said.</p>.<p>The strike comes a day after Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that inflated bills were not a big issue and the government would address the problem.</p>.<p>“It is not a very serious issue, but political parties are in election mode and using it as a social cause,” he told journalists on Friday.</p>