Report: Hurish shah
ISLAMABAD — Traders’ representatives from across Islamabad will meet at Karachi Company on Friday to discuss alleged harassment by the district administration and announce their future protest strategy.
President of the All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran and Islamabad Traders Action Committee Ajmal Baloch, Secretary and former ICCI Senior Vice President Khalid Chaudhry, Karachi Company Traders Association President Raja Zulfiqar, and its General Secretary and ICCI Executive Member Shahid Hussain Abbasi have demanded an immediate end to the alleged humiliation, arrests, heavy fines and sealing of shops by administrative officials.
Khalid Chaudhry said traders who pay millions of rupees in taxes could not be left at the mercy of officials allegedly misusing their authority. He alleged that traders were being harassed in the name of shopping bags, dengue prevention, price lists and encroachments.
The traders’ leaders questioned the imposition of heavy fines, arrests and shop closures over minor violations, stressing that traders played a vital role in the national economy and deserved respect.
Chaudhry warned that if the administration failed to change its attitude, the business community would stage protests across Islamabad to protect its rights.
The leaders announced that Ajmal Baloch and other representatives would hold a press conference at 3:30 pm on Friday at Karachi Company, G-9 Markaz, Islamabad, to announce the future course of protest.
They urged traders’ representatives from across the city to attend the meeting and unite in raising their concerns over what they described as administrative excesses.
The leaders reiterated that the dignity, businesses and livelihoods of the trading community would not be compromised.
