Daily Times

Traders in Karachi on Wednesday threatened to launch a jail bharo (fill the jails) movement if their demand to resume businesses in the metropolis during COVID-19 lockdown is not accepted.

“If our demands are not accepted, we will be launching a jail bharo (fill the jails) movement,” said that Sindh Tajir Ittehad leader Jameel Paracha during a joint presser of different trade organisations.

He said that the traders would reopen their shops from the first day of the Ramazan. “We will not meet any negotiating team or minister of the provincial government,” he said.

Electronic Dealers Association leader Rizwan Irfan said that Sindh government was only trying to buy some time by trying to engage the traders in talks.

“They have no sympathy towards the miserable condition traders and labourers are going through at this time,” he said.

Another trade leader Illyas Memon said that both the federal and provincial governments want to cripple the businesses. “Thousands of labourers have become unemployed due to closure of shops,” he said adding that they were in no position to pay their utility bills and taxes.

Meanwhile, the All City Tajir Ittehad president was taken into custody by local police on Wednesday over allegations of defying coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

The police took Hammad Poonawala into custody along with four others.

The traders had forcibly opened shops disregarding government orders, the police therefore took action and ‘Iron Market’ area of the metropolis was completely shut down.

All City Tajir Ittehad members have claimed that the police roughed them up and forced them to shut down shops.

Karachi traders summoned an emergency meeting earlier in the day after their deadline to the Sindh government to resume businesses in the metropolis expired yesterday.

The Sindh government had asked the traders to wait till Tuesday before they finalise the SOPs needed to resume businesses. “We will finalize the next move if any hindrance from the government is created in refraining us from opening our shops,” said President Sindh Tajir Ittehad Jameel Paracha. He said that they had to stop paying power dues and expel their employees to overcome the financial constraints faced due to coronavirus lockdown.

Paracha said that the provincial ministers Saeed Ghani and Nasir Hussain Shah were not responding to their phone calls.

On the other hand, the Sindh government on Wednesday rejected an announcement from traders to resume businesses during lockdown from first day of the Ramazan and Education Minister Saeed Ghani said that no one would be allowed to open shops.

“We hope the traders will understand our perspective,” he said and warned that if traders would try to reopen the businesses then the Sindh government would forcefully implement its coronavirus lockdown orders.

Saeed Ghani said that they would first consult with the federal government over reopening of the shops. “We have only close down the shops reopened today,” he said.

The minister said that the Governor Sindh Imran Ismail has no administrative powers in the province and he was not empowered to announce resumption of businesses in the province.

“The governor should refer anyone for implementation of orders to the Sindh government,” he said.

Saeed Ghani further announced that they could change the examinations schedule in the province if the coronavirus-related situation worsens.