ISLAMABAD: All Pakistan Traders Association has announced that traders will continue to operate businesses from tomorrow till ‘chand raat’ — a day before Eid.
In a statement on Friday evening, All Pakistan Traders Association President Ajmal Baloch said all markets and businesses will operate across the country, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Ajmal Baloch said traders should be allowed to operate businesses 24 hours as the Saudi government did, adding if the government does not have the means to provide relief to the business community, then it should not tell trades to shut down their businesses.
The Traders Association President asked the government to withdraw the notification because the restrictions regarding the timing of markets caused crowds in the markets.
The government, he said, had promised to take traders on board before announcing any fresh SOPs. However, the authorities took the unilateral decision, which caused severe turbulence among the traders, Baloch added.
“A complete lockdown is unreasonable for the traders and lower working classes as they have already been facing financial crisis owing to the limitations imposed by the government to control the spread of the coronavirus.
He said, “The anti-business strategies of the government had brought economic stagnation. These policies have roughly affected import-export, trade and industrial activities,” Baloch lamented.
On Tuesday, the Punjab government had announced that a full lockdown will be imposed across the province throughout the Eid holidays (May 8 to May 16) to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections.
The Sindh government also announced a new set of restrictions as part of the national “Stay Home- Stay Safe” drive to curb coronavirus during the Eid holidays.
In a notification issued by the Sindh Home Department, the provincial government stated that the new restrictions will remain in place from May 9 to 16.
According to a notification issued in this regard, all markets, businesses and shops will remain closed during the period except essential services. Special Eid bazaars / ‘Chand-Raat Bazars’ mehndi, jewellery/ornaments shops shall remain closed during the period being non-essential.
