KARACHI - Pakistanâs opposition parties called a nationwide strike on Friday to press for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf, but the response was limited, witnesses and officials said.
| Code Pink gets a better response protesting at military hospitals. |
| All those sour grapes just let out a little whine. |
 Public transport was affected in some areas and the conservative southwestern city of Quetta was âparalysedâ, but most businesses in the capital Islamabad and the major cities of Karachi and Lahore were open. An alliance of Islamic and secular parties says the call is in response to local elections last month which they say were rigged, as well as recent talks between Pakistan and Israel and a crackdown on religious schools by Musharraf. âThe strike was a total failure,â Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told AFP. âIt was business as usual throughout the country and people have completely rejected the negative politics of the opposition.â
| "So 'nyaaah!', Qazi! 'Nyaah!'" |
Traffic was quieter than usual in the commercial hub of Karachi -- Pakistanâs largest city with around 12 million inhabitants -- while shutters were downed in some markets, witnesses said. âThere has been a partial impact but the banks are open and attendance at government offices is almost normal,â said Salahuddin Haider, spokesman for Sindh province, where Karachi is located. Police and paramilitary soldiers had been deployed in âsensitiveâ areas in the volatile southern port city to ensure security during the strike, Karachi police chief Tariq Jamil said.
| Is there an area in Pakland that isn't sensitive? |
| Is there anyplace on a boil that's not? |
|