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KARACHI: A meeting of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Traders and Cottage Industries on Friday endorsed the strike call for Saturday and Sunday (August 26 and 27) and decided that traders and cottage industries throughout the country would keep their shutters down on both the days.

A Federation spokesman said that similar meetings were held in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta where it was resolved that the traders and cottage industries would go on strike in protest against the government's attitude towards the traders' demands.

The Federation, at its Friday moot, also reviewed the press conference held by Alvi Abdur Rahim, Chairman, Central Board of Revenue (CBR) and expressed surprise over his expression that the government was not afraid of the traders' strike.

The Central Chairman of the Federation said that while the traders have been talking of the solution of their genuine demands, the CBR chairman, instead of attending to attend to these demands and trying to work out a solution through dialogue and negotiations, has surprisingly been talking of being afraid or not afraid.

He regretted that the problems being faced by the country were the product of the uncompromising attitude of those who sit in the corridors of power. Instead of workaing out positive solutions to existing problems, our bureaucrats only aggravate the issues through their mishandling of things.

The Federation spokesman said the traders of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tando Adam, Shahdadpur, Nawaabshah, Sukkur, Badin, Matli, Tando Mohammmad Khan and Dadu had been conveyed the strisake decision of the Federation and they, also would be joining the strike.