Strike in Karachi brings business to a halt

Описание: (1 Jan 2010)
1. Low angle shot of locked shop
2. Mid of security officer standing in front of closed shops
3. Wide of closed shops and empty street with security officer
4. Top shot of empty road
5. Mid of black banner, message reading (Urdu) "We request a peaceful strike and reject the Taliban"
6. Various of Pakistan Rangers paramilitary force troops in street
7. Close of gun
8. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Ahmad Malik, Karachi resident
"I came from home today to go to work. But because of the strike, I couldn''t find any transport so I had to walk to my work because I need to earn money for my family. If this strike is going to happen again, how can we survive? I rely on my daily wage."
9. Mid of people waiting at bus stop
10. Mid of people walking with luggage on road
11. Various of rickshaw taxis standing idle
12. Various of man sitting on ground with paint and brushes
13. Wide if closed petrol station
14. Close of petrol pump sign
15. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Iqbal, Karachi resident:
"Business is already bad, and strikes like this will give us more financial losses. What''s going to happen to people who rely on day wages? What ever will happen is not good for the country."
16. Tilt down of burned-out Bolton Market building to debris
17. Mid of people clearing debris
18. Wide of street in front of Bolton Market building
19. Various of people at court building with their heads covered who were arrested in connection with fire at Bolton Market
STORYLINE
A strike in Pakistan''s largest city Karachi on Friday brought business in the country''s financial capital to a halt.
The strike was called by religious and political groups to protest against the deadly bomb attack on a Shiite religious procession during the Ashoura festival last Monday which killed 44 people at the Shiite Muslim religious parade.
All of Karachi''s main markets, shops, business centres and the Karachi Stock Exchange, the country''s largest bourse, remained closed on Friday.
Banks and financial institutions were already scheduled to close because of the January 1 annual closure.
In the city centre, most businesses remained padlocked.
A transport strike also kept busses and rickshaw taxis from operating, and petrol stations were closed too.
Meanwhile, police arrested several suspects in connection with an arson attack on Karachi''s Bolton Market in the aftermath of Monday''s bombing.
Monday''s bombing sparked rioting that destroyed buildings and thousands of shops in central Karachi, causing millions of dollars in damage.
Parts of Bolton Market, the country''s largest wholesale market, were still smouldering on Wednesday, more than 48 hours after the attack.
Mobs roamed the streets immediately after the blast, setting fire to nearby buildings, firing guns into the air and throwing stones at security forces who had been assigned to protect the procession.
Officials initially blamed Shiites in the procession for the rioting but later said it was a planned conspiracy, a stance that may be intended to temper sectarian tensions.
Police presented the suspects at a Karachi court on Friday, and they were remanded in custody.

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