- Routine life continues nationwide despite strike call.
- Small-scale protest reported in Islamabad, Sindh.
- PTI thanks citizens for participating in strike, calls its referendum.
ISLAMABAD: The opposition’s call for a nationwide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike drew a largely muted response on Sunday, with routine life continuing in most parts of the country despite scattered protests in a few areas, The News reported.
In Islamabad and Rawalpindi, normal life continued as markets, business centres and transport services remained fully operational, reflecting the failure of PTI’s wheel-jam and shutter-down call to gain traction.
Traffic moved freely, while law enforcement agencies maintained heightened security around sensitive areas, including the Red Zone and Diplomatic Enclave. Police reported a peaceful situation throughout the day, with only a brief, small-scale protest attempt near Faisal Masjid that dispersed without arrests.
Several opposition leaders participated in the ‘Black Day’ and wheel-jam protests across the country, while in Islamabad, the rally outside Faisal Masjid was attended by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, both vice-chairmen of Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aiyeen Pakistan (TTAP).
Responding to questions about the absence of opposition alliance chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, alliance spokesman Akhunzada Hussain told The News that Achakzai had prior commitments in Lahore, where he attended the Asma Jahangir Conference as chief guest, an engagement confirmed more than a month earlier.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, commenting on the strike call, said the opposition alliance’s wheel-jam and shutter-down strike call failed to resonate with the public, claiming that “for the first time, the wheel jam itself has become jammed”.
In a statement on X, he said the people had rejected what he described as politics of hatred, chaos and division, adding that normal activity and commercial bustle continued across the country despite it being a Sunday.
Reacting to the strike, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Secretary General Muhammad Humayun Khan termed it a complete failure, saying the public had rejected what he described as politics of chaos and coercion.
In a statement, he said the uninterrupted functioning of business centres and daily life across the country showed that people now prioritise stability, economic recovery and public welfare over political disruption.
Meanwhile, residents of Lahore remained engaged in Basant festivities on Sunday, though PTI claimed its wheel-jam and shutter-down call received a strong nationwide response, congratulating the public and party workers for what it described as a historic and peaceful protest.
In a press release, the PTI leadership thanked citizens, workers and organisational office-bearers for participating in the February 8 protest, saying it reflected public unity in support of the restoration of what it termed the party’s “stolen mandate,” release of political prisoners, judicial independence and constitutional supremacy.
The party also acknowledged the support of various segments of society, including traders, lawyers, students and labourers, and pledged to continue its political struggle.
In Punjab’s Chiniot district, traders and residents rejected the strike call, with markets remaining open in Chiniot, Bhowana and Lalian tehsils and traffic flowing smoothly. Trader leaders said political shutdowns were not in the national interest, stressing the need for stability and uninterrupted economic activity.
Separately, PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh described the February 8 shutter-down and wheel-jam strike as a “peaceful public referendum” against alleged rigging in the 2024 general election, claiming closures across major commercial hubs in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas. He said intercity transport from Karachi was suspended but insisted the protest was voluntary and non-violent.
Ground reports, however, indicated a mixed response across Sindh. In Dadu district, markets in Dadu city, Mehar, Johi and Khairpur Nathan Shah operated partially, while traffic was reduced on main roads and the Sindh-Balochistan Indus Highway. In the Jamshoro district, shutter-down strikes were observed in Kotri and Jamshoro, though traffic largely continued.
Opposition parties staged rallies in Sukkur and Khairpur, where members of the Functional Muslim League, Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), PTI and Sindh United Party condemned alleged election rigging and fraudulent Form-47 results, terming the resulting assembly “illegitimate”.
Despite these demonstrations, authorities reported no major violence, with law-and-order conditions remaining largely under control. The strike underscored regional contrasts, with normalcy in Islamabad and Punjab, and selective disruption and political mobilisation in parts of Sindh.
Also, PTI’s call for a province-wide shutter-down and wheel-jam strike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday saw limited impact, with most markets, shops and transport services continuing to operate normally across the province. While some trade centres and PTI workers in Peshawar, Shangla, Mansehra and other districts staged rallies or partially observed the strike, major cities including Mardan, Lower Dir, Abbottabad, Karak and Chitral largely rejected the call, keeping businesses open.
Heavy police deployment was reported in urban centres to maintain law and order, with a few isolated incidents of road blockades and tyre burning by PTI supporters. Traders and citizens cited economic losses and longstanding public grievances, stating that shutdowns would not resolve the real issues.
Federal Minister and PML-N KP President Amir Muqam said the strike call was widely rejected, accusing PTI of misleading the public with a narrative focused solely on its imprisoned leader, Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, a province-wide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike on Sunday disrupted daily life across Balochistan, including major cities such as Quetta, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Zhob, Khuzdar, Mastung and Gwadar.
The strike marked two years since the February 8, 2024 general election, which opposition parties allege were rigged.
