Butchers, authorities locked in bitter dispute

Butchers and meat sellers in the port city of Karachi, who have kept their shops shuttered since the start of Ramadan, remain locked in a bitter dispute with the Jamaat–e–Islami–led city government over the sale of meat at officially controlled prices.

"We cannot sell meat at the prices fixed by the city government," Haji Ishaq Qureshi, president Meet Merchant Welfare Association said. "Our shops will remain closed until our demands are accepted by the authorities."

Naimatullah Khan, mayor of Karachi, has vowed that he will not succumb to the pressure of the meat sellers and will not allow them to sell meat at what he calls "high prices''.

In an attempt to prevent a sharp increase in prices during Ramadan, the city government started imposing fines on meat sellers found guilty of selling beef and mutton at excessively high prices. The crackdown resulted in the unprecedented strike by the meat sellers, which is fast evolving into a major issue.

The meat sellers have accused the mayor of patronising the Jamaat-e-Islami workers and certain meat traders from Lahore by forcing the local butchers and meat sellers to keep their shops shut.

The city government has set up stalls at various centres where officials and the Jamaat-e-Islami workers are selling meet at official rates.

Chief Minister Sindh Mohammed Ali Mehar, however, has praised Naimatullah Khan and said he was serving the people by selling cheap meat.

But Abdul Jabbar, a resident of Malir, said the city government's move appears politically motivated. "We see Jamaat-e-Islami workers being given stalls for free to sell meat."

The MQM has urged that the issue be sorted out through consensus and negotiations.