KARACHI  - The strike called by nationalist political parties across Sindh against Sindh People Local Government Ordinance 2012 on Thursday had failed to imprint a strong impact in Karachi as associations of traders and public transporters rejected it and kept markets open and minibuses operational. The shutter-down and wheel-jam strike was also turned into a ‘mourning day’ late Wednesday night due to heart-rending fire tragedy in Baldia Town factory that claimed over 289 lives. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamaat Islami (JI) announced on the night between Wednesday and Thursday that instead of strike, they would observe a ‘day of mourning’. Sindh Bachao Committee (SBC), a platform of various nationalist parties, had announced observing the strike against promulgation of SPLGO 2012. The committee sees the controversial ordinance as a bid to divide Sindh.Major commercial areas of Karachi including Saddar and Tariq Road remained open as All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI) and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) had already announced that all commercial business centres will remain open across the city on Thursday.A spokesman of AKTI, Ismail Lalpura told PPI that all business centres were opened in the city as strike call had already been called off by concerned political parties.Public transport also remained on the roads; however, in areas of Malir, Shah Faisal, Bhens Colony, Ibrahim Hyderi, Gulshan e Hadeed and Sachal Goth the public transport remained thin.“We plied over 90 to 95 of our transport buses to roads and whoever claims that public transport remained off the roads is distorting the fact,” said Chairman Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) Syed Irshad Hussain Bukhari. He said he avoided issuing any statement pertaining to KTI stance on strike on Wednesday, as majority of political parties had already announced observing mourning day.Denying that public buses were thin in some areas, Bukhari said all transport buses were plied to roads to ensure commuters may not suffer. He, however, said buses could be less in strength in a few areas where miscreant elements blocked their entry, but in 95 per cent of the areas they were plied as per routine.