Islamabad/Lahore/Quetta, Feb 8, 2026 — Markets in Islamabad and Lahore largely remained open on Sunday despite a strike call by the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) to protest alleged irregularities in the February 8, 2024, general elections, while a complete shutdown was reported in Quetta.

A partial shutdown was observed in Peshawar, where business activity resumed after 5pm, officials and traders said. In Lahore, several markets were closed, largely due to the weekly holiday and Basant-related schedules rather than the strike call.

The strike coincided with protests announced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a member of TTAP, to mark the second anniversary of the 2024 polls, which the party alleges were rigged. PTI also said it would observe a day of mourning following Friday’s suicide bombing at an imambargah in Islamabad that killed at least 36 people.

In a post on X, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said a strike was a constitutional method to express dissent, urging supporters to participate peacefully. The party and TTAP shared images and videos online showing shuttered shops and gatherings in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser said on Saturday that the party had not postponed its programme, adding that protests and a shutter-down strike would be observed alongside mourning activities.

Authorities reported no major incidents linked to the strike, while business activity varied by city. Officials said monitoring continued as political groups concluded planned activities.