The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), having been spearheading operation against illegal encroachments in the city on the apex court’s orders last year, has given a three-day deadline to Urdu Bazaar shopkeepers to vacate their stalls. The dissident shopkeepers and road-side merchants staged a protest Monday evening. Urdu Bazaar Market Association and the Booksellers Association staged a joint protest against the looming threat of demolition. They highlighted that the Bazaar was not just a group of businesses but a cultural heritage of Karachi. They termed the KMC’s call for evacuation as illegal pointing out that their shops had been located in Urdu Bazaar for decades, set up through legal procedures. They demanded an end to the illegal demolition of their businesses. On the other hand, KMC officials insisted that the Urdu Bazaar was located over a drain and they had advised the shopkeepers to vacate in three days. Published in Daily Times, January 9th 2019.