Daily Times

As the government on Tuesday announced to extend lockdown until April 30, traders from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Blaochistan provinces announced to resume businesses from April 15 (today).

Sindh Traders Alliance Chairman Jamil Ahmed Paracha told a press conference in Karachi along with many other trader organisations that traders have cooperated with the Sindh government amid pandemic by closing all markers for 28 days, but now the markets across Karachi will open from April 15 as lockdown has inflicted a huge loss on the business community. He further said if the lockdown is not lifted, the traders will be forced to sack their employees. “If we were not allowed to resume business activities from Wednesday, the traders will utilize the second option by staging a sit-in in front of Chief Minister House,” he added.

President Small Traders Association Mehmood Hamid said that markets in Karachi will be opened from 9 am to 5 pm. “If government is to legally bind employers in the province not to retrench or terminate services of any employees during the shutdown, what it has given us so that we may not do like this,” he asked.

The traders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that they cannot afford the lockdown further and that they will open shops from April 15. President United Business Group, Ilyas Bilour said that small scale traders are forced into starvation due to the lockdown. He lamented that labourers have been severely affected due to the closure of business centres. “We haven’t even gotten any aid or grants from the government during this time,” he said.

The businessmen have also formed an eight-member committee for talks with the authorities.

Following the announcement by traders, KP government spokesperson Ajmal Wazir said the government has prepared a package for small traders and will announce it very soon.

The business community in Balochistan also said that it will resume operations from April 15 and that they cannot tolerate any further extension in the lockdown. The traders will follow all precautionary measures, a spokesperson for the trader organisations said, adding that they have informed the provincial government about their decision.

In Lahore, Minister of Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Social Welfare Bashart Raja said that the government is well aware of the problems of the businessmen and traders due to the lockdown. The Punjab government will take a positive decision in a couple of days, he said during a meeting with a delegation of traders at Civil Secretariat on Tuesday. He said in this time of difficulty, the Punjab government is grateful for the full support of the trader community. He said all steps are being taken by the government to protect the lives and property of the people. He said that the groceries and medical stores are allowed to remain open so as not to cause food and medicines shortage.