MQM party calls for strike after deadly blasts aimed at political parties

Описание: (24 Apr 2013)
1. Wide top shot showing street with very little traffic
2. People on street
3. Mid of closed market stalls
4. High shot of closed market stalls
5. Various of closed shops with police officers on duty
6. Close of lock on shop shutter
7. Various of closed fuel station
8. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Hamid Hussain, local resident:
"Things were not so bad before, but look how many people were killed yesterday. Fifteen to twenty people are dying each day. Today I am waiting for a bus. All shops and stalls are closed, and I can't even buy breakfast for myself and my family. I am uncertain what will happen. Elections are very near, but every day people are dying, and no one cares. I am a labourer, if I do not get to my job, the office will deduct my salary."
9. Various of rickshaws parked on empty road
10. Various of security officers on street
STORYLINE:
The streets of Karachi were quiet on Wednesday morning, as many residents went on strike to protest against a bomb attack near the election campaign office of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM).
MQM, which is the main political force in Karachi, called for the strike and closed its offices in the city following Tuesday's attack, in which an explosive device planted in a motorcycle went off killing at least two people and injuring more than a dozen others.
Market stalls and shops were closed and rickshaws stood stationary at the roadside in Pakistan's main business and commercial centre on Wednesday.
"All shops and stalls are closed, and I can't even buy breakfast for myself and my family. I am uncertain what will happen. Elections are very near, but every day people are dying, and no one cares," said Karachi resident Hamid Hussain.
Following Tuesday's attack, MQM chief Altaf Hussain called for the immediate closure of all the political party's election offices in Karachi, according to a party news release.
The MQM was an ally of the outgoing government led by the Pakistani People's Party (PPP) and its predecessor government led by General Pervez Musharraf.
The Pakistani Taliban has established a significant presence in the southern city of Karachi and has stepped up attacks there.
The militant group issued audio and video messages last month warning people to stay away from rallies held by the MQM, and two other secular parties that have supported army offensives against the militants in the northwest: the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP).
The Pakistani Taliban have been waging a bloody insurgency in Pakistan for years to enforce Islamic law in the country and to break the government's alliance with the United States in fighting militants.


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